White Matter Integrity, Drug Use, and Risk Taking in Adolescence

描述(由申请人提供)：神经成像研究已经确定了白质(WM)组织成熟的宏观和微观证据，从青春期一直持续到年轻成年期。WM的发育对于大脑各区域之间的顺畅和有效的交流是重要的。前额WM联结纤维是高阶执行功能(如抑制、注意、解决问题)的重要途径，但成熟较慢。人们在青春期就开始探索工作记忆完整性和认知之间的关系，有研究表明，微结构完整性与在反应抑制等执行功能测试中的表现之间存在关系。值得注意的是，青少年从事危险行为的风险增加，如滥用药物和犯罪，但有限的研究探索了青少年发育期间WM变化和冒险行为之间的关系。因此，这项研究将利用弥散张量成像(DTI)来检查WM微观结构完整性和执行功能对青春期18个月期间测量的真实冒险行为(包括吸毒和酗酒)变化的影响。如果存在对WM完整性和冒险行为等结构-功能关联的经验支持，结构预测因子可以与其他评估工具(如神经心理学、个性、社会文化)和成像方式(FMRI)一起使用，以更好地理解现实世界冒险的行为表现。了解危险行为的神经基础不仅对临床评估有意义，而且对设计干预和预防计划也有意义，这些计划考虑到儿童和成人过渡期间认知控制能力的发展差异。这些信息可能被用来为青少年提供更健康的渠道，这可能会影响医疗保健、教育、刑事司法系统和整个社会。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neuroimaging studies have identified both macrostructural and microstructural evidence of white matter (WM) tissue maturation continuing through adolescence and into young adulthood. WM development is important for smooth and efficient communication between brain regions. Frontal WM association fibers are important pathways for higher order executive functioning (e.g., inhibition, attention, problem-solving), yet are slower to mature. The relationship between WM integrity and cognition is beginning to be explored in adolescence, with studies showing relationships between microstructural integrity and performance on tests of executive functioning such as response inhibition. Notably, adolescents are at increased risk for engaging in risky behaviors such as substance misuse and delinquency, yet limited studies have explored the relationship between WM changes and risk taking during adolescent development. Therefore, this study will utilize diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine the influence of WM microstructural integrity and executive functioning on changes in real-word risk taking behaviors, including drug and alcohol use, measured over an 18-month interval during adolescence. If empirical support exists for structure-function associations such as WM integrity and risk taking, structural predictors can be used in accordance with other assessment tools (e.g., neuropsychological, personality, socio-cultural) and imaging modalities (FMRI) to better understand behavioral manifestation of real-world risk taking. Understanding the neural substrates of risky behaviors has implications for not only clinical assessment, but for designing intervention and prevention programs that take into account developmental differences in cognitive control capacities during the transitional window between childhood and adulthood. Such information may be used to provide healthier outlets for teenagers, which could influence healthcare, education, criminal justice systems, and society as a whole.