A new study published in JAMA Network Open found an association between brain structure and adolescent substance use.
Of the 9804 adolescents studied, those that tried substances like alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, etc., before age 15 had differences in overall brain structure, including thicker cortex, compared to those who did not. According to the study, “The majority of brain structure features associated with substance use initiation were evident among substance-naive children at baseline who later initiated.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
