Impact of Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use on Neuropsychological Functioning in Young Adulthood: 10-Year Outcomes

• Published in: Journal of child & adolescent substance abuse 2011-01, Vol.20 (2), p.135-154
• Main Authors: Hanson, Karen L., Medina, Krista Lisdahl, Padula, Claudia B., Tapert, Susan F., Brown, Sandra A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addictive Behavior; Adolescence; Adolescent Development; Adolescents; Adults; alcohol; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol use; At Risk Persons; California Verbal Learning Test for Children; Cognition; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Development; Comparative Analysis; Drinking; Drug Abuse; Drug Rehabilitation; Drug Use; Ethanol; Executive Function; Learning; Memory; neurocognition; Neurological Organization; Neuropsychology; Predictor Variables; Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test; Risk; Risk factors; Spatial Ability; spatial memory; Stimulants; Substance Abuse; substance use disorders; Symptoms; Teenagers; Trail Making Test (Reitan); Verbal Learning; Visual discrimination learning; Visual Learning; Visual Perception; visuospatial function; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Revised); Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised); Wechsler Memory Scale; withdrawal; young adulthood; Young Adults; Youth
• ISSN: 1067-828X; 1547-0652
• DOI: 10.1080/1067828X.2011.555272

Because of ongoing neuromaturation, youth with chronic alcohol/substance use disorders (AUD/SUD) are at risk for cognitive decrements during young adulthood. We prospectively examined cognition over 10 years based on AUD/SUD history. Youth (N = 51) with no AUD/SUD history (n = 14), persisting AUD/SUD (n = 18), or remitted AUD/SUD (n = 19) were followed over 10 years with neuropsychological assessments. Groups were compared at baseline and 10-year follow-up. Both AUD/SUD groups declined in visuospatial construction at year 10 (p = .001). Further, cumulative alcohol use (p