Functional brain connectivity predictors of prospective substance use initiation and their environmental correlates.
medRxiv
; 2024 May 31.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38853927
ABSTRACT
Background:
Early substance use initiation (SUI) places youth at substantially higher risk for later substance use disorders. Furthermore, adolescence is a critical period for the maturation of brain networks, the pace and magnitude of which are susceptible to environmental influences and may shape risk for SUI.Methods:
We examined whether patterns of functional brain connectivity during rest (rsFC), measured longitudinally in pre-and-early adolescence, can predict future SUI. In an independent sub-sample, we also tested whether these patterns are associated with key environmental factors, specifically neighborhood pollution and socioeconomic dimensions. We utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study®. SUI was defined as first-time use of at least one full dose of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, or other drugs. We created a control group (N = 228) of participants without SUI who were matched with the SUI group (N = 233) on age, sex, race/ethnicity, and parental income and education.Results:
Multivariate analysis showed that whole-brain rsFC prior to SUI during 9-10 and 11-12 years of age successfully differentiated the prospective SUI and control groups. This rsFC signature was expressed more at older ages in both groups, suggesting a pattern of accelerated maturation in the SUI group in the years prior to SUI. In an independent sub-sample (N = 2,854) and adjusted for family socioeconomic factors, expression of this rsFC pattern was associated with higher pollution, but not neighborhood disadvantage.Conclusion:
Brain functional connectivity patterns in early adolescence that are linked to accelerated maturation and environmental exposures can predict future SUI in youth.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
MedRxiv
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication: