Editorial: Long-Term Consequences of Adolescent Drug Use: Evidence From Pre-clinical and Clinical Models

Related findings from Barker et al. indicate that high dose binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence may selectively promote habitual behavior in female rats, with adolescent male rats showing no alterations in response strategy selection in adulthood. Sanchez Marin et al. report that adolescent rats exposed to binge-like ethanol treatment not only have aberrant mRNA levels of genes encoding enzymes and receptors in the endocannabinoid system and neuroinflammation-related factors within the frontal cortex, and higher mRNA levels of stress-related genes within the hippocampus, but in addition, develop deficits in the novel object recognition test of learning and memory. [...]Kruse et al. show that, in rats, deficits in risk-based decision making (overly risky behavior), resultant from adolescent ethanol self-administration, are not caused by impulsivity but rather are due to heightened sensitivity to reward-related conditioning stimuli. [...]Kirschmann et al. present findings that challenge the popular belief that adolescent exposure to marijuana causes long-term deficits in executive functions.