Chen Ya-Yun, Lindenmuth Morgan, Lee Tae-Ho, Lee Jacob, Casas Brooks, Kim-Spoon Jungmeen
Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.
Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia; School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2025 May;10(5):513-521. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.11.020. Epub 2024 Nov 29.
Adolescent substance use is a significant predictor of future addiction and related disorders. Understanding neural mechanisms underlying substance use initiation and frequency during adolescence is critical for early prevention and intervention.
The current longitudinal study followed 91 substance-naïve adolescents annually for 7 years from ages 14 to 21 years to identify potential neural precursors that predict substance use initiation and frequency. Cognitive control processes were examined using the Multi-Source Interference Task to assess functional neural connectivity. A questionnaire was used to assess substance use frequency.
Stronger connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) at time 1 predicted a delayed onset of substance use, indicative of a protective effect. A notable decline in this dACC-dlPFC connectivity was observed 1 year prior to substance use initiation. Conversely, lower connectivity of the dACC with the supplementary motor area and heightened connectivity of the anterior insula with the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus were predictive of greater frequency of future substance use. These findings remained after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic covariates.
This study highlights the critical role of cognitive control-related neural connectivity in predicting substance use initiation and frequency during adolescence. The results imply that efforts to strengthen and monitor the development of the top-down cognitive control system in the brain from early adolescence can be protective and deter progression into problematic substance use. Furthermore, for adolescents with heightened frequency of substance use, interventions may prove more effective by targeting interoceptive processes in cognitive control training.
青少年物质使用是未来成瘾及相关障碍的重要预测指标。了解青少年期物质使用开始及频率背后的神经机制对于早期预防和干预至关重要。
当前的纵向研究对91名未使用过物质的青少年从14岁至21岁每年进行跟踪，为期7年，以确定预测物质使用开始及频率的潜在神经前体。使用多源干扰任务检查认知控制过程，以评估功能性神经连接。采用问卷评估物质使用频率。
在时间点1时，背侧前扣带回皮质（dACC）与背外侧前额叶皮质（dlPFC）之间更强的连接性预测了物质使用开始的延迟，表明具有保护作用。在物质使用开始前1年观察到这种dACC-dlPFC连接性显著下降。相反，dACC与辅助运动区的连接性较低以及前岛叶与背内侧前额叶皮质和角回的连接性增强则预测了未来物质使用的频率更高。在控制了人口统计学和社会经济协变量后，这些发现依然成立。
本研究强调了认知控制相关神经连接在预测青少年期物质使用开始及频率方面的关键作用。结果表明，从青少年早期就加强和监测大脑自上而下认知控制系统的发育，可能具有保护作用，并能阻止发展为有问题的物质使用。此外，对于物质使用频率较高的青少年，在认知控制训练中针对内感受过程进行干预可能会更有效。
