Through a new five-year, NIH funded project, 黑料网 researcher Aysenil Belger, PhD, and Diana Fishbein at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute will examine neurological and psychological factors that lead some adolescents with anxiety symptoms to use controlled substances, with the goal to improve precision-based, targeted interventions for these teens.
CHAPEL HILL, NC 鈥� Anxiety remains one of the most diagnosed clinical symptoms in adolescence and is a potent precursor to and exacerbator of substance use disorder. In their new study entitled 鈥淣eurobiological Pathways from Anxiety Symptomology in Early Adolescence to Risk for Adverse Patterns of Substance Use鈥� funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 黑料网 and Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute researchers will examine the neural and physiological mechanisms associated with emergence of substance use in adolescence who experience anxiety. Specifically, researchers will examine cognitive functions, stress physiology and brain circuits and functions that distinguish adolescents with anxiety that do and do not go on to use psychoactive substances, including alcohol, during adolescence.
Researchers will recruit children ages twelve to fourteen who report symptoms of anxiety. The cohort will then be stratified based on a tool Ty Ridenour (Senior Research Analyst at RTI International and co-PI) developed, which focuses on risk factors such as home life, peer influences, cognitive functioning, impulsivity, risk-taking, and other behaviors to determine if the child has the individual profile that Ridenour has established places them at risk of transitioning to substance use. Researchers will compare brain function and stress physiological systems in adolescents who do and do not initiate substance use over five years.
This longitudinal study is testing participants at baseline, twelve months and twenty-four months. Adolescents will be studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while performing tasks that measure cognitive control, impulsivity, and executive decision-making. Their physiological responses to social stressors, including heart rate, perspiration, and changes in the stress hormone, cortisol, will also be measured. In depth surveys and toxicology screens are used to determine substance use patterns and a wide range of other child characteristics. The first goal is to first identify the predictors of adverse patterns of substance use in adolescents with anxiety symptoms and, second, to determine what neurobiological mechanisms drive this association. This information will enable the development of more targeted, personalized interventions to prevent pathways of substance use.
鈥淲e have very little understanding of the biological differences that explain why some people are prone to substance use or why some children and adolescents get to the point of substance use while others don鈥檛. Once we find these biological markers, we can identify those at increased risk and what the risk factors are for that individual and develop interventions that enhance cognitive skills or intervene with stress management to keep them off the adverse trajectory using prevention science,鈥� said Co-Principal Investigator Aysenil Belger, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Clinical Translational Core at the 黑料网 Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.
鈥淲hen young people experience anxiety symptoms, it can compromise the ability of interventions to prevent substance use from developing. In adding to our knowledge about biological processes that underlie anxiety and how they relate to substance use, this study will help us to identify windows of opportunity during child and adolescent development when we can most effectively intervene. Although this study focuses on biological 鈥渞isks鈥� that may propel youth toward substance use, we will also be able to identify protective factors, such as strong connections between cognitive and emotional centers of the brain or supportive social networks, that may reduce risk and lead to more positive outcomes for children with anxiety. Given that a child鈥檚 brain is very sensitive to early experiences, identifying conditions that have positive effects will reveal opportunities for strengthening those protective factors to avoid pathways to negative outcomes,鈥� said Diana Fishbein, PhD, Senior Scientist and Director of Translational NeuroPrevention Research, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, is Co-principal investigator.
鈥淭his research is timely and important,鈥� Belger said. 鈥淧ost-pandemic anxiety and mental health issues in adolescents are on the rise, and many of the same characteristics we鈥檙e studying also contribute to other mental health issues like suicidality. Our study results could identify more than just risk for substance use. There are policy implications as well, including identifying social, structural, and systemic risk factors that contribute to anxiety and substance use.
Belger, who had directed the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) for five years, is focused on understanding neurobiological systems, functions and mechanisms that contribute to the development of psychopathology in youth. She works on the biology of high-risk integrating multimodal methodologies such as brain imaging, electrophysiological recordings, and cognitive behavioral assessments.
Fishbein鈥檚 career has centered on understanding factors that contribute to the development of psychopathology, focusing on adverse experiences that predict negative outcomes, including substance abuse. She is particularly interested in how evidence-based interventions and policies have the potential to normalize developmental trajectories, leading to positive behavioral and mental health outcomes. Ridenour鈥檚 groundbreaking work focuses on translating problem behavior etiology research into clinical tools to improve prevention integrating advanced statistical analysis for longitudinal clinical trials. Together, the work of Belger, Fishbein and Ridenour applies technologies and findings from neuroscience to address outstanding questions in the field of prevention, leading to more effective methods and policy reforms to support the health and well-being of our young people.
We want to bridge with other collaborators studying brain function in adolescents in other circumstances. The team is excited to hear from others who want to add measures to ancillary projects. The researchers are also interested in clinical collaborations for recruitment but also for referral of vulnerable children. Lastly, join us to become a resource for psychoeducation for families. Reach out to Aysenil Belger, PhD at aysenil.belger@unc.edu