Multi-modal neuroimaging reveals differences in alcohol-cue reactivity but not neurometabolite concentrations in adolescents who drink alcohol

The objective of this multi-modal neuroimaging study was to identify neuroscience-informed treatment targets for adolescent alcohol use disorder (AUD) by examining potential neural alterations associated with adolescent alcohol use. Adolescents (ages 17–19) who heavily used (n=49) or did not use alc...

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Veröffentlicht in:Drug and alcohol dependence 2024-04, Vol.257, p.111254-111254, Article 111254
Hauptverfasser: Kirkland, Anna E., Green, ReJoyce, Browning, Brittney D., Aghamoosa, Stephanie, Meyerhoff, Dieter J., Ferguson, Pamela L., Tomko, Rachel L., Gray, Kevin M., Squeglia, Lindsay M.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The objective of this multi-modal neuroimaging study was to identify neuroscience-informed treatment targets for adolescent alcohol use disorder (AUD) by examining potential neural alterations associated with adolescent alcohol use. Adolescents (ages 17–19) who heavily used (n=49) or did not use alcohol (n=22) were recruited for a multi-modal neuroimaging protocol, including proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy within the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and an fMRI alcohol cue-reactivity task. The alcohol cue-reactivity task was analyzed across 11 a priori regions-of-interest (ROI), including the dACC, and in an exploratory whole-brain approach. Correlations were run between neurometabolite levels and alcohol cue-reactivity in the dACC. There were no significant group differences in absolute neurometabolite concentrations. Compared to the control group, the alcohol-using group exhibited heightened alcohol cue reactivity in the left amygdala ROI (p=0.04). The whole-brain approach identified higher alcohol cue reactivity in the alcohol-using group compared to controls in the amygdala and occipital regions, and lower reactivity in the parietal lobe. Whole-brain sex effects were noted, with females displaying higher reactivity regardless of group. No significant correlations were found between neurometabolite levels and alcohol cue-reactivity in the dACC. The null neurometabolic findings may be due to age, relatively low severity of alcohol use, and non-treatment-seeking status of the participants. Females showed overall higher reactivity to alcohol cues, indicating a sex effect regardless of alcohol use history. Higher amygdala reactivity in alcohol-using adolescents suggests that emotional processing related to alcohol cues may be a useful target for future adolescent AUD interventions. •Effective treatments for adolescent alcohol use disorder are needed.•Multimodal imaging can assess metabolic and behavioral effects of alcohol in youth.•No alcohol-related differences in neurometabolite levels measured with 1 H-MRS.•Alcohol use was related to increased reactivity to alcohol cues in the amygdala.•Females showed increased reactivity to alcohol cues, regardless of alcohol use.
ISSN:0376-8716
1879-0046
DOI:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111254