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Jones SA, Morales AM, Harman G, Dominguez-Savage KA, Gilbert S, Baker FC, de Zambotti M, Goldston DB, Nooner KB, Clark DB, Luna B, Thompson WK, Brown SA, Tapert SF, Nagel BJ. Associations between alcohol use and sex-specific maturation of subcortical gray matter morphometry from adolescence to adulthood: Replication across two longitudinal samples. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 63:101294. [PMID: 37683327 PMCID: PMC10497992 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Subcortical brain morphometry matures across adolescence and young adulthood, a time when many youth engage in escalating levels of alcohol use. Initial cross-sectional studies have shown alcohol use is associated with altered subcortical morphometry. However, longitudinal evidence of sex-specific neuromaturation and associations with alcohol use remains limited. This project used generalized additive mixed models to examine sex-specific development of subcortical volumes and associations with recent alcohol use, using 7 longitudinal waves (n = 804, 51% female, ages 12-21 at baseline) from the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA). A second, independent, longitudinal dataset, with up to four waves of data (n = 467, 43% female, ages 10-18 at baseline), was used to assess replicability. Significant, replicable non-linear normative volumetric changes with age were evident in the caudate, putamen, thalamus, pallidum, amygdala and hippocampus. Significant, replicable negative associations between subcortical volume and alcohol use were found in the hippocampus in all youth, and the caudate and thalamus in female but not male youth, with significant interactions present in the caudate, thalamus and putamen. Findings suggest a structural vulnerability to alcohol use, or a predisposition to drink alcohol based on brain structure, with female youth potentially showing heightened risk, compared to male youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Angelica M Morales
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Gareth Harman
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Sydney Gilbert
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Fiona C Baker
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | | | - David B Goldston
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kate B Nooner
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Duncan B Clark
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Wesley K Thompson
- Population Neuroscience and Genetics Lab, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sandra A Brown
- Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Susan F Tapert
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bonnie J Nagel
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
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Abstract
PURPOSE Alcohol and cannabis are the most commonly used substances during adolescence and are typically initiated during this sensitive neurodevelopmental period. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent literature focused on understanding how these substances affect the developing brain. SEARCH METHODS Articles included in this review were identified by entering 30 search terms focused on substance use, adolescence, and neurodevelopment into MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, ProQuest Central, and Web of Science. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they longitudinally examined the effect of adolescent alcohol and/or cannabis use on structural or functional outcomes in 50 or more participants. SEARCH RESULTS More than 700 articles were captured by the search, and 43 longitudinal studies met inclusion criteria, including 18 studies focused on alcohol use, 13 on cannabis use, and 12 on alcohol and cannabis co-use. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Existing studies suggest heavy alcohol and cannabis use during adolescence are related to small to moderate disruptions in brain structure and function, as well as neurocognitive impairment. The effects of alcohol use include widespread decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness across time; slowed white matter growth and poorer integrity; disrupted network efficiency; and poorer impulse and attentional control, learning, memory, visuospatial processing, and psychomotor speed. The severity of some effects is dependent on dose. Heavy to very heavy cannabis use is associated with decreased subcortical volume and increased frontoparietal cortical thickness, disrupted functional development, and decreased executive functioning and IQ compared to non-using controls. Overall, co-use findings suggest more pronounced effects related to alcohol use than to cannabis use. Several limitations exist in the literature. Sample sizes are relatively small and demographically homogenous, with significant heterogeneity in substance use patterns and methodologies across studies. More research is needed to clarify how substance dosing and interactions between substances, as well as sociodemographic and environmental factors, affect outcomes. Larger longitudinal studies, already underway, will help clarify the relationship between brain development and substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Lees
- Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Jennifer Debenham
- Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Lindsay M Squeglia
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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