Functional magnetic resonance imaging in studies of neurocognitive effects of alcohol use on adolescents and young adults.

Alcohol use disorders (defined as alcohol abuse or dependence) are prevalent and serious problems among adolescents and young adults. Adolescence is a time of trying new experiences and activities that emphasize socializing with peers, and conforming to peer-group standards. These new activities may place young people at particular risk for initiating and continuing alcohol consumption. Exposing the brain to alcohol during adolescence may interrupt key processes of brain development, leading to cognitive impairment as well as to further escalation of alcohol use. Alcohol-induced adolescent learning impairments could affect academic and occupational achievements. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a relatively new imaging technique that allows studying neurocognitive function. fMRI aims to determine the neurobiological correlate of behavior by identifying the brain regions that become active during the performance of specific tasks in vivo. The technique is non-invasive and relatively safe. This allows repeated studies to be carried out within a given subject. Several fMRI studies have been performed to evaluate neurocognitive function in adolescents and young adults with alcohol use disorders. Adolescents and young adults with alcohol use disorders had abnormalities in brain response to a working memory task. The results of the studies of cue reactivity and craving responses in young people suggest that the elevated physiological response and altered cognitive reactions to alcohol are involved in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence in adolescents and young adults. Future fMRI studies may help ascertain the adverse affects of alcohol on brain function during early neurodevelopmental stages. fMRI may be uniquely powerful in the delineation of the underlying pathophysiology of alcohol use disorders in adolescents and young adults.