Striatal brain volume linked to severity of substance use in high-risk incarcerated youth

• Published in: Development and psychopathology p. 1
• Main Authors: Anderson, Nathaniel E, Maurer, J Michael, Stephenson, David, Harenski, Keith, Caldwell, Michael, Van Rybroek, Greg, Kiehl, Kent A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 13.05.2024
• Subjects: Antisocial behavior; juvenile; MRI; brain volume; substance use disorders
• ISSN: 1469-2198
• DOI: 10.1017/S0954579424000804

Substance use disorders among juveniles are a major public health concern and are often intertwined with other psychosocial risk factors including antisocial behavior. Identifying etiological risks and mechanisms promoting substance use disorders remains a high priority for informing more focused interventions in high-risk populations. The present study examined brain gray matter structure in relation to substance use severity among = 152 high-risk, incarcerated boys (aged 14-20). Substance use severity was positively associated with gray matter volume across several frontal/striatal brain regions including amygdala, pallidum, putamen, insula, and orbitofrontal cortex. Effects were apparent when using voxel-based-morphometric analysis, as well as in whole-brain, data-driven, network-based approaches (source-based morphometry). These findings support the hypothesis that elevated gray matter volume in striatal reward circuits may be an endogenous marker for vulnerability to severe substance use behaviors among youth.