White matter development is important for efficient communication between brain regions, higher order cognitive functioning, and complex behaviors. Adolescents have a higher propensity for engaging in risky behaviors, yet few studies have explored associations between white matter integrity and risk taking directly. Altered white matter integrity in mid-adolescence was hypothesized to predict subsequent risk taking behaviors 1.5 years later. Adolescent substance users (predominantly alcohol and marijuana, n = 47) and demographically similar nonusers (n = 49) received diffusion tensor imaging at baseline (ages 16-19), and risk taking measures at both baseline and an 18-month follow-up (i.e., at ages 17-20). Brain regions of interest were the fornix, superior corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and superior fronto-occipital fasciculus. In substance-using youth (n = 47), lower white matter integrity at baseline in the fornix and superior corona radiata predicted follow-up substance use (ΔR2 = 10-12%, ps
CITATION STYLE
Jacobus, J., Thayer, R. E., Trim, R. S., Bava, S., Frank, L. R., & Tapert, S. F. (2013). White matter integrity, substance use, and risk taking in adolescence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(2), 431–442. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028235
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