Striatal brain volume linked to severity of substance use in high-risk incarcerated youth

Substance use disorders among juveniles are a major public health concern and are often intertwined with other psychosocial risk factors including antisocial behavior. Identifying etiological risks and mechanisms promoting substance use disorders remains a high priority for informing more focused in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development and psychopathology 2024-05, p.1-10
Main Authors: Anderson, Nathaniel E, Maurer, J Michael, Stephenson, David, Harenski, Keith, Caldwell, Michael, Van Rybroek, Greg, Kiehl, Kent A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Substance use disorders among juveniles are a major public health concern and are often intertwined with other psychosocial risk factors including antisocial behavior. Identifying etiological risks and mechanisms promoting substance use disorders remains a high priority for informing more focused interventions in high-risk populations. The present study examined brain gray matter structure in relation to substance use severity among = 152 high-risk, incarcerated boys (aged 14-20). Substance use severity was positively associated with gray matter volume across several frontal/striatal brain regions including amygdala, pallidum, putamen, insula, and orbitofrontal cortex. Effects were apparent when using voxel-based-morphometric analysis, as well as in whole-brain, data-driven, network-based approaches (source-based morphometry). These findings support the hypothesis that elevated gray matter volume in striatal reward circuits may be an endogenous marker for vulnerability to severe substance use behaviors among youth.
ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579424000804