TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex differences in the effect of nucleus accumbens volume on adolescent drinking
T2 - The mediating role of sensation seeking in the NCANDA sample
AU - Nagel, Bonnie J.
AU - Morales, Angelica M.
AU - Boyd, Stephen J.
AU - Mackiewicz Seghete, Kristen L.
AU - Johnson, Alicia J.
AU - De Bellis, Michael D.
N1 - Funding Information:
The data presented here are based on the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) Data Release NCANDA_DATA_00010_V1, 1-Sep-2015 as described in Pfefferbaum et al. (2016) and the NIH grants 1U01AA021695-01, 1U01AA021692- 01, 1U01AA021696-01, 1U01AA021697-01, 1U01AA021690-01, 1U01AA021681-01, and 1U01AA0216.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism with co-funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Consortium on Alcohol & Neurodevelopment in Adolescence grant numbers: AA021697, AA021695, AA021692, AA021696, AA021681, AA021690, AA021691). *Correspondence may be sent to Bonnie J. Nagel at the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, MC: UHN-80R1, Portland, OR 97239, or via email at: nagelb@ohsu.edu.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, (publisher Name). All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/11
Y1 - 2019/11
N2 - Objective: In adolescence, sensation seeking is associated with earlier onset of alcohol use, which is a risk factor for a variety of negative consequences later in life. Individual differences in sensation seeking are related to brain function in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a brain region that undergoes considerable structural development during adolescence. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether NAcc volume in alcohol-naive adolescents was associated with future sensation seeking and alcohol use and whether these associations differed by sex. Method: High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure NAcc volume at baseline in 514 alcohol-naive adolescents (50.2% female) from the National Consortium on Alcohol &Neurodevelopment in Adolescence study. Direct effects of NAcc volume on adolescent drinking 2 years after baseline, and indirect effects mediated through sensation seeking 1 year after baseline, were assessed. Results: An indirect effect of NAcc volume on subsequent drinking through sensation seeking was significant for males, but not females. This effect was driven by a positive association between NAcc volume and sensation seeking observed in male, but not female, participants. A direct effect of NAcc volume on subsequent alcohol use was detected in females, but not males. In females, no association between NAcc volume and sensation seeking was detected, but NAcc volume was positively associated with future alcohol use. Conclusions: These findings suggest that delayed structural maturation of the NAcc may be a risk factor for alcohol use in adolescence; however, the mechanism by which the structure of the NAcc confers risk differs by sex.
AB - Objective: In adolescence, sensation seeking is associated with earlier onset of alcohol use, which is a risk factor for a variety of negative consequences later in life. Individual differences in sensation seeking are related to brain function in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a brain region that undergoes considerable structural development during adolescence. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether NAcc volume in alcohol-naive adolescents was associated with future sensation seeking and alcohol use and whether these associations differed by sex. Method: High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure NAcc volume at baseline in 514 alcohol-naive adolescents (50.2% female) from the National Consortium on Alcohol &Neurodevelopment in Adolescence study. Direct effects of NAcc volume on adolescent drinking 2 years after baseline, and indirect effects mediated through sensation seeking 1 year after baseline, were assessed. Results: An indirect effect of NAcc volume on subsequent drinking through sensation seeking was significant for males, but not females. This effect was driven by a positive association between NAcc volume and sensation seeking observed in male, but not female, participants. A direct effect of NAcc volume on subsequent alcohol use was detected in females, but not males. In females, no association between NAcc volume and sensation seeking was detected, but NAcc volume was positively associated with future alcohol use. Conclusions: These findings suggest that delayed structural maturation of the NAcc may be a risk factor for alcohol use in adolescence; however, the mechanism by which the structure of the NAcc confers risk differs by sex.
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U2 - 10.15288/jsad.2019.80.594
DO - 10.15288/jsad.2019.80.594
M3 - Article
C2 - 31790349
AN - SCOPUS:85076121362
SN - 1937-1888
VL - 80
SP - 594
EP - 601
JO - Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
JF - Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
IS - 6
ER -