Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019 Jun;60(6):655-664. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13015. Epub 2019 Feb 27.
Current theories in neuroscience emphasize the crucial role of individual differences in the brain contributing to the development of risk taking during adolescence. Yet, little is known about developmental pathways through which family risk factors are related to neural processing of risk during decision making, ultimately contributing to health risk behaviors. Using a longitudinal design, we tested whether neural risk processing, as affected by family multi-risk index, predicted delay discounting and substance use.
One hundred and fifty-seven adolescents (aged 13-14 years at Time 1, 52% male) were assessed annually three times. Family multi-risk index was measured by socioeconomic adversity, household chaos, and family risk-taking behaviors. Delay discounting was assessed by a computerized task, substance use by questionnaire data, and risk-related neural processing by blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the amygdala during a lottery choice task.
Family multi-risk index at Time 1 was related to adolescent substance use at Time 3 (after controlling for baseline substance use) indirectly through heightened amygdala sensitivity to risks and greater delay discounting.
Our results elucidate the crucial role of neural risk processing in the processes linking family multi-risk index and the development of substance use. Furthermore, risk-related amygdala activation and delay discounting are important targets in the prevention and treatment of substance use among adolescents growing up in high-risk family environments.
当前的神经科学理论强调了个体差异在青少年冒险行为发展中的关键作用。然而，对于家庭风险因素如何通过发育途径与决策中的风险神经加工相关，最终导致健康风险行为，我们知之甚少。本研究采用纵向设计，测试了家族多风险指数对风险加工神经的影响是否可以预测延迟折扣和物质使用。
157 名青少年（第 1 次评估时年龄为 13-14 岁，52%为男性）每年评估 3 次。家族多风险指数通过社会经济逆境、家庭混乱和家庭冒险行为来衡量。延迟折扣通过计算机任务评估，物质使用通过问卷数据评估，风险相关的神经加工通过在彩票选择任务中血氧水平依赖（BOLD）反应评估杏仁核。
第 1 次评估时的家族多风险指数与第 3 次评估时的青少年物质使用（在控制基线物质使用的情况下）间接相关，其关联途径为杏仁核对风险的敏感性增加和延迟折扣增大。
我们的研究结果阐明了神经风险加工在将家族多风险指数与物质使用发展联系起来的过程中的关键作用。此外，风险相关的杏仁核激活和延迟折扣是预防和治疗处于高风险家庭环境中的青少年物质使用的重要靶点。
