Neural mechanisms of risky decision making in adolescents reporting frequent alcohol and/or marijuana use.

ABSTRACT: Because adolescence is a period of heightened exploration of new behaviors, there is a natural increase in risk taking including initial use of alcohol and marijuana. In order to better understand potential differences in neurocognitive functioning among adolescents who use drugs, the current study aimed to identify the neural substrates of risky decision making that differ among adolescents who are primary users of alcohol or marijuana, primary users of both alcohol and marijuana, and controls who report primary use of neither drug. Participants completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Comparison of brain activation during risky decisions versus non-risky decisions across all subjects revealed greater response to risky decisio

SUBMITTER: Claus ED 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5650551 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature