Nucleus Accumbens Volume Is Associated with Frequency of Alcohol Use among Juvenile Justice-Involved Adolescents
by
Rachel E. Thayer 1,*, Shirley M. Crotwell 2, Tiffany J. Callahan 1, Kent E. Hutchison 1 and Angela D. Bryan 1
Rachel E. Thayer 1,*, Shirley M. Crotwell 2, Tiffany J. Callahan 1, Kent E. Hutchison 1 and Angela D. Bryan 1
1
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Muenzinger D244, UCB 345, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA
2
Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Brain Sci. 2012, 2(4), 605-618; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci2040605
Received: 1 August 2012 / Revised: 26 September 2012 / Accepted: 8 November 2012 / Published: 12 November 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addiction and Neuroadaptation)
Differential neural development of structures associated with reward and control systems may underlie risky behavior in adolescence. The nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) have been implicated in substance use behavior, although structural studies have yet to explore specific relationships between nucleus accumbens and OFC volumes and alcohol use in adolescence. High resolution structural MRI scans and assessments of recent alcohol use and lifetime substance use were collected in a sample of 168 juvenile justice-involved adolescents to explore whether gray matter volumes were associated with past 3-month quantity and frequency of alcohol use. Gray matter volumes were not associated with average quantity of alcohol use. Accumbens volume was positively associated with past 3-month frequency of drinking, and OFC volume was negatively associated with drinking frequency. Results may suggest that structural differences in regions related to reward and control processing may contribute to risk behavior in adolescence.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Thayer, R.E.; Crotwell, S.M.; Callahan, T.J.; Hutchison, K.E.; Bryan, A.D. Nucleus Accumbens Volume Is Associated with Frequency of Alcohol Use among Juvenile Justice-Involved Adolescents. Brain Sci. 2012, 2, 605-618.
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