Teenage drink and drug abuse linked to brain 'wiring'

00:23 Teenage drink and drug abuse linked to brain 'wiring' 0 Comments

Newly discovered networks of neurons suggest some youngsters are more likely to begin smoking, experimenting with cannabis or consuming large amounts of alcohol. Scientists used MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to highlight abnormalities by comparing the brains of almost two thousand 14 year olds. It is the first time the vast and chaotic actions of a teenage brain at work have been shown in such detail. The findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, helps answer a longstanding chicken-or-egg question about whether certain brain patterns come before drug use, or are caused by it. Psychiatrist Professor Hugh Garavan, of the University of Vermont in New England, said: "The differences in these networks seem to precede drug use."