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

描述（由申请人提供）：神经影像学研究已经确定了宏观结构和微观结构的证据，表明白质（WM）组织的成熟持续到青春期和青年期。WM的发展对于大脑区域之间的顺畅和有效的沟通是重要的。额叶脑损伤相关纤维是高阶执行功能（如抑制、注意、解决问题）的重要通路，但发育较慢。大脑微观结构完整性与认知之间的关系在青春期开始被探索，研究显示微观结构完整性与执行功能（如反应抑制）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（如药物滥用和犯罪）的风险增加，但有限的研究探索了青少年发展过程中WM变化与冒险行为之间的关系。因此，本研究将利用弥散张量成像（DTI）来检查WM微结构完整性和执行功能对现实世界风险行为变化的影响，包括青少年期间18个月的药物和酒精使用。如果存在结构-功能关联（如WM完整性和风险承担）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、人格、社会文化）和成像模式（FMRI）一起使用，以更好地理解现实世界风险承担的行为表现。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方案有意义，这些方案考虑到儿童和成年之间过渡窗口期间认知控制能力的发展差异。这些信息可以用来为青少年提供更健康的渠道，这可能影响医疗保健、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.