Affective Processing and Substance Use Escalation in Adolescence - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT. Adolescence is a unique neurodevelopmental period where bottom-up affective processes is pronounced while top-down executive control is onboarded throughout this age range. Specifically, subcortical limbic areas are more reactive to emotional stimuli and drive “hot” emotional responding. These emotional states can outwardly appear in impulsive and risky-behavior, such as substance use, and is an integral theoretical component to the notion of chronically relapsing substance use disorders. Thus, aberrations in affective processing have been previously associated with problematic substance use maintenance in young adulthood and onward. Though, few studies have investigated whether these affective processing aberrations predate substance use escalation in adolescence, despite theoretical frameworks proposing a link between the two and suggesting sex differences in their development. Understanding where prevention and interventions could be targeted in this link is critical as repeated substance use in adolescence is linked with substance use disorders, later psychopathology, and health concerns. Comparatively, research has independently linked poorer working memory abilities with substance use in adolescence. As working memory and affective processing contains overlapped functional brain areas—particularly in frontal regions—it begs the question as to whether affective processing aberrations may impact effective utilization of “cold” cognitive processing and potentially represent a risk for escalation of substance use. Despite this line of literature, no studies have investigated the relationship between neuronal activation, within key affective processing brain regions, elicited by affective stimuli during a working memory task on early substance use escalation outcomes, and investigate sex differences in this trajectory. Let alone, investigating this relationship in a large-scale and demographically diverse sample, prospectively, and prior to substance use initiation. Thus, Mr. Sullivan’s F31 proposal seeks to examine these relationships in a secondary-analysis harnessing the landmark NIH-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, following over 11,800 youth across 10 years. Functional neuroimaging data will be utilized across the study period, along with a myriad of other biopsychosocial measures, in predicting adolescent substance use escalation (ages 9-15). This fellowship would provide Mr. Sullivan with an exceptional opportunity to build his skills within functional neuroimaging and expertise in addiction and affective neuroscience, while also advancing vital skills needed for longitudinal and “big data” analysis. A dedicated mentorship team of ABCD Study leaders with expertise in these areas will ensure exceptional training. At the conclusion of this fellowship, Mr. Sullivan will meet his goal of developing a diverse and high-quality skillset to carry into an F32 proposal and progress to an early career as a clinical research scientist with an expertise in addiction and affective neuroscience, functional neuroimaging, and advanced statistical skills. This will enable him to work effectively in a team science setting, utilizing complex, longitudinal neuroimaging datasets.
