Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
Department Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
Addict Biol. 2017 Sep;22(5):1402-1415. doi: 10.1111/adb.12413. Epub 2016 Jun 26.
Puberty is a critical time period during human development. It is characterized by high levels of risk-taking behavior, such as increased alcohol consumption, and is accompanied by various neurobiological changes. Recent studies in animals and humans have revealed that the pubertal stage at first drink (PSFD) significantly impacts drinking behavior in adulthood. Moreover, neuronal alterations of the dopaminergic reward system have been associated with alcohol abuse or addiction. This study aimed to clarify the impact of PSFD on neuronal characteristics of reward processing linked to alcohol-related problems. One hundred sixty-eight healthy young adults from a prospective study covering 25 years participated in a monetary incentive delay task measured with simultaneous EEG-fMRI. PSFD was determined according to the age at menarche or Tanner stage of pubertal development, respectively. Alcohol-related problems in early adulthood were assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). During reward anticipation, decreased fMRI activation of the frontal cortex and increased preparatory EEG activity (contingent negative variation) occurred with pubertal compared to postpubertal first alcohol intake. Moreover, alcohol-related problems during early adulthood were increased in pubertal compared to postpubertal beginners, which was mediated by neuronal activation of the right medial frontal gyrus. At reward delivery, increased fMRI activation of the left caudate and higher feedback-related EEG negativity were detected in pubertal compared to postpubertal beginners. Together with animal findings, these results implicate PSFD as a potential modulator of psychopathology, involving altered reward anticipation. Both PSFD timing and reward processing might thus be potential targets for early prevention and intervention.
青春期是人类发展的关键时期。它的特点是冒险行为水平高，例如饮酒增加，并且伴随着各种神经生物学变化。最近在动物和人类中的研究表明，首次饮酒的青春期阶段（PSFD）对成年后的饮酒行为有显著影响。此外，多巴胺能奖励系统的神经元改变与酒精滥用或成瘾有关。本研究旨在阐明 PSFD 对与酒精相关问题相关的奖励处理的神经元特征的影响。168 名来自前瞻性研究的健康年轻成年人参与了一项金钱奖励延迟任务，该任务同时进行 EEG-fMRI 测量。PSFD 根据月经初潮或青春期发育的 Tanner 阶段来确定。在成年早期的酒精相关问题使用酒精使用障碍识别测试（AUDIT）进行评估。在奖励预期期间，与青春期相比，青春期首次饮酒的额皮质 fMRI 激活减少，准备性 EEG 活动（条件性负变）增加。此外，与青春期相比，成年早期的酒精相关问题在青春期首次饮酒者中增加，这与右内侧额回的神经元激活有关。在奖励传递期间，与青春期相比，青春期首次饮酒者的左尾状核 fMRI 激活增加，反馈相关 EEG 负性增加。结合动物研究结果，这些结果表明 PSFD 是潜在的精神病理学调节剂，涉及改变奖励预期。因此，PSFD 时机和奖励处理都可能是早期预防和干预的潜在目标。
