Adolescence is characterized by heightened vulnerability to health risk behaviors such as experimenting with drugs and alcohol and engaging in unsafe sexual activity that together are the major proximal causes of drug addiction and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Research in developmental neuroscience suggests that risk-taking in adolescence may derive from differing developmental trajectories of two distinct neural systems that regulate risky decisions: (i) early maturation of a reward system that biases decisions toward high-reward options, combined with (ii) late maturation of a cognitive control system that biases decisions away from options with potential negative consequences. Yet, we know very little about how developing reward and control neural systems interact to produce differential vulnerability to poor decision-making that leads to adverse health outcomes. We propose the first longitudinal analyses to examine how individual differences in developmental trajectories of reward/risk sensitivity and cognitive control are related to the development of adolescent substance use and risky sexual behaviors. We will study a sample of 120 adolescents from understudied Appalachian communities for the outcomes of substance use (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use) and HIV/STD-related risky sexual behaviors (e.g., multiple sexual partners and unprotected sex) throughout middle adolescence (13-17 years). We will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify neural correlates of risky decision- making: reward/risk sensitivity (reward system) and cognitive control (control system). We will examine our hypotheses at the neural level as well as within the context of standard assessments of behavior (e.g., executive function tasks) and self- and parent reported attributes (e.g., approach/avoidance) to obtain a more integrated understanding of the connections between reward and control systems and adolescent risk-taking. Based on our conceptual model we will test whether cognitive control statistically moderates the effects of reward/risk sensitivity on adolescent substance use and HIV/STD-related risky sexual behaviors. We hypothesize that neural patterns of hyperactive reward sensitivity and hypoactive risk sensitivity will be related to greater involvement in substance use and risky sexual behaviors, especially for those adolescents with hypoactive cognitive control. The proposed research will make theoretical contributions by providing new knowledge about the interaction between reward and control neural systems that, to our knowledge, have not been studied. Our design will also allow us to investigate the reciprocal interplay between adolescent risky behaviors and these neural processes. The findings from this work will yield critical information for identifying adolescents with high neurobiological vulnerability for developing substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors and will have the potential to improve prevention efforts to positively alter developmental pathways of youth who are at risk for drug addiction and HIV/STDs.

Public Health Relevance

Among youth in the United States, the leading causes of morbidity and mortality include tobacco, alcohol and other drug use, as well as sexual behaviors that contribute to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The proposed longitudinal study will examine the joint contribution of developing neural markers-cognitive control and reward/risk sensitivity-to substance use and HIV/STD-related risky sexual behaviors throughout mid-adolescence. The findings from this work will yield critical information for identifying adolescents with high neurobiological vulnerability for developing substance abuse and HIV/STD-related risky sexual behaviors, and will have the potential to improve prevention efforts to positively alter developmental pathways of those youth who are at risk for drug addiction and HIV/STDs.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA036017-02
Application #
8687637
Study Section
Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention Study Section (PDRP)
Program Officer
Boyce, Cheryl A
Project Start
2013-07-01
Project End
2018-03-31
Budget Start
2014-04-01
Budget End
2015-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Blacksburg
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
24060
Holmes, Christopher; Brieant, Alexis; Kahn, Rachel et al. (2018) Structural Home Environment Effects on Developmental Trajectories of Self-Control and Adolescent Risk Taking. J Youth Adolesc :
Bickel, Warren K; Mellis, Alexandra M; Snider, Sarah E et al. (2018) 21st century neurobehavioral theories of decision making in addiction: Review and evaluation. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 164:4-21
Herd, Toria; Li, Mengjiao; Maciejewski, Dominique et al. (2018) Inhibitory Control Mediates the Association between Perceived Stress and Secure Relationship Quality. Front Psychol 9:217
Brieant, Alexis; Holmes, Christopher J; Maciejewski, Dominique et al. (2018) Positive and Negative Affect and Adolescent Adjustment: Moderation Effects of Prefrontal Functioning. J Res Adolesc 28:40-55
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 :
Kahn, Rachel E; Chiu, Pearl H; Deater-Deckard, Kirby et al. (2018) The Interaction Between Punishment Sensitivity and Effortful Control for Emerging Adults' Substance Use Behaviors. Subst Use Misuse 53:1299-1310
Waldron, Jonathan C; Scarpa, Angela; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen (2018) Religiosity and interpersonal problems explain individual differences in self esteem among young adults with child maltreatment experiences. Child Abuse Negl 80:277-284
Holmes, Christopher J; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen (2017) Adolescents' Religiousness and Substance Use Are Linked via Afterlife Beliefs and Future Orientation. J Early Adolesc 37:1054-1077
Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen; Kahn, Rachel E; Lauharatanahirun, Nina et al. (2017) Executive functioning and substance use in adolescence: Neurobiological and behavioral perspectives. Neuropsychologia 100:79-92
Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen; Maciejewski, Dominique; Lee, Jacob et al. (2017) Longitudinal associations among family environment, neural cognitive control, and social competence among adolescents. Dev Cogn Neurosci 26:69-76

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