Table 1.
Brain correlates of heavy alcohol and marijuana use in adolescence
| Substance | White matter | Cortical volumes | BOLD response | Neuropsychological functioning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | ↓ FA in the SCR, ILF, FOF, and SLF (Jacobus et al. 2009) | ↑ PFC volume in males and ↓ PFC volume in females compared to same-gender controls (Medina et al. 2008) | ↑ Response in frontal and parietal regions,↓ response in occipital cortex during verbal encoding (Schweinsburg et al. 2010a) | ↓ Verbal and nonverbal retention, visuospatial functioning (Brown et al. 2000) |
| ↓ FA in the CC, SLF, CR, internal and external capsules (McQueeny et al. 2009) | ↓ Left hippocampal volume (Medina et al. 2007a, b) | ↑ Response in parietal cortices,↓ response in occipital, frontal, and cerebellar regions during spatial working memory (Tapert et al. 2004) | ↓ Attention and information processing (Tapert et al. 2002; Tarter et al. 1995) | |
| ↓ FA in the splenium of the corpus callosum (Tapert et al. 2003) | ↓ Future planning, abstract reasoning (Giancola et al. 1998)↓ Language skills, lower verbal and full-scale IQ (Moss et al. 1994) | |||
| Marijuana | ↑ White matter volumes with earlier onset (Wilson et al. 2000) | ↓ Cortical gray matter volumes with earlier onset (Wilson et al. 2000) | ↑ Activation in right prefrontal cortex in tasks requiring executive attention (Abdullaev et al. 2010) | ↑ Perseverative errors on a problem solving task (Lane et al. 2007) |
| ↓ Hippocampal response during encoding (Schweinsburg et al. 2010b) | ||||
| Alcohol and Marijuana | ↓ FA in the SLF, postcentral gyrus, and ILF (Bava et al. 2009) | ↓ PFC volumes in males and↑ PFC volumes in females compared to same-gender controls (Medina et al. 2009) | = Response as controls during verbal encoding after 1 month of abstinence (Schweinsburg et al. 2010b). | ↓ Psychomotor speed, complex attention, story memory, and planning and sequencing ability after 1 month of abstinence (Medina et al. 2007a, b) |
| ↑ FA compared to bingers alone, but ↓ compared to controls (Jacobus et al. 2009) | ↑ PFC cerebellar vermis volumes; linked to poorer executive functioning (Medina et al. 2010 | ↑ Response in frontal and parietal regions during inhibition after 1 month of abstinence (Tapert et al. 2007). | ↓ Verbal learning until 2 weeks of abstinence, ↓ working memory until 3 weeks of abstinence,↓ attention after 1 month of abstinence (Hanson et al. 2010) | |
| ↓ White matter volume associated with more depression symptoms (Medina et al. 2007a, b) | = Hippocampal volumes as controls (Medina et al. 2007a, b) | ↑ Response in parietal but ↓ in dorsolateral prefrontal and occipital cortices during spatial working memory after 1 month of abstinence (Schweinsburg et al. 2008) | ↓ Performance on attention, working memory, and speeded processing tasks associated with ↓ FA (Bava, et al. 2010a, b) | |
| ↑ Response in superior prefrontal and insula regions during spatial working memory after 2 -7 days of abstinence (Schweinsburg et al. 2010b). | ||||
| ↑ Response most prefrontal and medial frontal regions, but ↓ Response in inferior frontal and temporal regions during spatial working memory after >2 days of abstinence (Schweinsburg 2005a, b) | ||||
SCR superior corona radiata; ILF inferior longitudinal fasciculus; FOF fronto-occipital fasciculus; CC corpus callosum; SLF superior longitudinal fasciculus; CR corona radiata; FA fractional anisotropy; PFC prefrontal cortex; IQ intelligence quotient