Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Making the most of ourselves in the 21st century State-of-Science Review: SR-E8 Neurocognition and Social Cognition in Adolescent Drug Users: Vulnerability and Consequences

Mental Capital and Wellbeing. The views expressed do not represent the policy of any Government or organisation. 2 Summary The onset of substance use coincides with a critical maturation period of the neural substrates that are affected by alcohol and other drugs of abuse. Behaviourally, adolescents exhibit distinct patterns of risk-taking. Moreover, neuroimaging studies have shown that these individuals, when compared to adults, engage different neural systems when processing rewards and punishments. Therefore, a better understanding of the behavioural and neural systems processes during adolescence is very important for the design of effective intervention programming. This review highlights the characteristics of alcohol and other drug use disorders during adolescence and shows examples of behavioural and neural substrate response patterns revealing differential processing of cue-related stimuli and risk-taking behaviour. Recent studies are reviewed, showing that heavy drinking during adolescence is associated with reduced hippocampal volume, disturbed white matter integrity, and abnormal brain response during cognitive tasks, while heavy cannabis use during adolescence is linked to abnormal brain response during cognitive tasks as well as poorer learning and attention performance. We propose that certain individuals may be at a higher risk for substance problems because of a mixture of pre-existing conditions and increased vulnerability to the effects of alcohol or other drugs of abuse. In particular, youth deploying more processing resources to reward-related stimuli and not taking into account risk-related outcomes may be vulnerable to adverse behavioural consequences. Support for this proposition would provide a rational basis for the development of new intervention programmes. 1. Adolescence, drug use and the brain Individuals often initiate the use of substances during a time when the brain is undergoing a critical maturation period. Moreover, these substances can have profound effects on neural substrates that are important for cognition and emotion. For example, adolescents exhibit distinct patterns of risk-taking behaviour, weighing rewards and potential punishments differently than adults, and neuroimaging studies have shown that these individuals, compared to adults, engage different neural systems when processing rewards and punishments. Therefore, to develop better intervention programmes, we need a thorough understanding of how brains of adolescents process these and other behaviours. This review highlights the characteristics of alcohol and other drug use disorders during adolescence and shows examples of behavioural and neural substrate response patterns revealing differential processing of cue-related stimuli and risk-taking behaviour. We propose that certain individuals may be at a higher risk for substance problems …