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Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 21, No. 8, 792-794 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881107078309
© 2007 British Association for Psychopharmacology

Substance use and the adolescent brain: A toxic combination?

Dan I. Lubman

ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiarty, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, dan.lubman{at}mh.org.au

Murat Yücel

ORYGEN Research Centre, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Wayne D. Hall

School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia

Early onset substance use has consistently been associated with increased risk for a range of adverse outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood. However, the mechanisms that underlie this relationship are not fully understood. Recent advances in developmental neuro-science, together with emerging literature on early onset substance use, suggest that the adolescent brain may be more vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances because of the extensive neuromaturational processes that are occurring during this period. Such findings are suggestive of disrupted developmental trajectories in early onset users, although there is growing evidence that high-risk youths have premorbid neurobiological vulnerabilities. Prospective studies investigating neurobiological correlates and sequelae of early adolescent drug use are urgently required to inform appropriate public health responses.

Key Words: adolescence • drugs • brain development • cannabis • alcohol • inhalants • public health


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