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Neuroimaging of the Human Brain in Adolescent Substance Users

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Abstract

Adolescent substance misuse is a persistent international problem that impacts millions of adolescents worldwide and is associated with poor psychosocial, cognitive, and neurobiological outcomes. Recent advances in neuroimaging technology have allowed for a better understanding of the neurobiological effects of adolescent substance misuse. This chapter reviews recent evidence from neuroimaging studies investigating adolescent substance misuse (i.e., sMRI, DTI and fMRI) and identified that adolescent substance misuse is associated with widespread abnormalities in regional brain morphology, structural connectivity and brain function. These alterations were particularly marked in medial temporal, frontal-parietal and cerebellar regions. The research to date supports the notion that adolescent substance misuse is associated with adverse neurobiological outcomes that may persist throughout adulthood. This review emphasizes the utility of neuroimaging in investigating the possible neurobiological consequences of adolescent substance misuse and discusses clinical implications for neuroimaging research in the treatment of adolescent substance misuse.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia

    Michael Takagi

  2. School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

    George Youssef

  3. Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Australia

    George Youssef

  4. Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences & Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Valentina Lorenzetti

  5. Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Valentina Lorenzetti

  6. School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Michael Takagi

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  1. Michael Takagi
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  2. George Youssef
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  3. Valentina Lorenzetti
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Correspondence to Michael Takagi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Denise De Micheli

  2. Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil

    André Luiz Monezi Andrade

  3. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Eroy Aparecida da Silva

  4. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Maria Lucia Oliveira de Souza Formigoni

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Takagi, M., Youssef, G., Lorenzetti, V. (2016). Neuroimaging of the Human Brain in Adolescent Substance Users. In: De Micheli, D., Andrade, A., da Silva, E., de Souza Formigoni, M. (eds) Drug Abuse in Adolescence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17795-3_6

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