Figure 1. Response to alcohol pictures in youth with heavy versus light drinking.

Brains of youths who drank heavily activated strongly in response to seeing alcohol advertisements but showed little brain response to nonalcoholic beverage ads; this difference (i.e., signal contrast) was smaller in youth who drank lightly. The difference in brain response was greatest in adolescents with the highest consumption levels and was especially strong in the left hemisphere (positive affect), limbic, and visual cortex areas. Source: Tapert et al., 2003.52