In the United States and worldwide, the leading causes of mortality include substance use disorders and risky sexual behaviors that contribute to sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (NIDA, 2010; CDC, 2011, 2012; WHO, 2008). Negative peer influence is a major risk factor for early initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors (Pfeifer et al., 2011). However, group- based interventions and positive social supports are also known to be beneficial for successful cessation of substance use and addictive behaviors (Hayes et al., 2006; Ouimette et al., 1997; Simoni et al., 2007). Thus, social influences contribute differentially depend on the context and nature of the influence. Yet, the mechanisms underlying susceptibility to social influence have received limited investigation. Here, we combine functional neuroimaging and variants of a novel decision-making paradigm to examine how individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD) process and use social influence when making decisions about risky options. Our broad hypothesis is that disrupted neurobehavioral processing of information from social others contributes to the maintenance of substance use disorders and may explain why risky others have an unusually large impact on those who engage in substance use. We combine functional neuroimaging and a model-based behavioral economics approach to test this hypothesis in CUD participants. Specifically, in Aim 1, we test the possibility that CUD individuals value information from risky others more than information from safe others, thus contributing to increased likelihood to engage in risky behaviors.
In Aim 2, we test the possibility that the source of information about risky options guides decision-making such that voluntarily sought information from social others is more influential to decision-making than is information that is externally provided (and involuntarily acquired). In both Aims, we propose to scan CUD individuals as they make decisions about risky options alone and within a group and test the influence of others on subjects' decisions. This general approach allows us to examine the neurobehavioral processes associated with both the beneficial and detrimental effects of social influence on risky decision-making and thus has implications for understanding both the onset and prevention of disordered substance use.

Public Health Relevance

In the United States and worldwide, the leading causes of death include substance use disorders and risky sexual behaviors that contribute to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Social influences play a major role in the onset of undesirable risky behaviors and also in successful quitting of these behaviors. Understanding the neural mechanisms that support how information from social others is processed may lead to more effective interventions that use social others to slow the transmission of negative risky behaviors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21DA042274-01A1
Application #
9245082
Study Section
Addiction Risks and Mechanisms Study Section (ARM)
Program Officer
Su, Shelley
Project Start
2017-04-01
Project End
2019-03-31
Budget Start
2017-04-01
Budget End
2018-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
003137015
City
Blacksburg
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
24061
Wang, John M; Zhu, Lusha; Brown, Vanessa M et al. (2018) In Cocaine Dependence, Neural Prediction Errors During Loss Avoidance Are Increased With Cocaine Deprivation and Predict Drug Use. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging :