Accelerated alcohol use across adolescence predicts early adult symptoms of alcohol use disorder via reward-related neural function.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alcohol use is commonly initiated during adolescence, with earlier onset known to increase the risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Altered function in neural reward circuitry is thought to increase the risk for AUD. To test the hypothesis that adolescent alcohol misuse primes the brain for alcohol-related psychopathology in early adulthood, we examined whether adolescent alcohol consumption rates predicted reward responsivity in the ventral striatum (VS), and in turn, AUD symptoms in adulthood.

Methods

A total of 139 low income, racially diverse urban males reported on their alcohol use at ages 11, 12, 15, and 17; completed self-reports of personality, psychiatric interviews, and a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan at age 20; and completed a psych

SUBMITTER: Waller R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7066874 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature