Luciana et al. (2013). As reviewed in the MRI section, the goal of this study was to use a longitudinal design to build upon the existing cross-sectional observations of adolescent AU. Youth (n = 55; ages 14–19 at baseline), including an AU sample who transitioned into alcohol use (defined “alcohol initiators”: n = 30), were compared with non-AU youth (n = 25; matched on estimated IQ, gender distribution, ethnicity, background socioeconomic status and externalizing behaviour). While AU did not differ from non-AU youth at baseline, non-AU youth showed greater gains in FA over the 2-year follow-up in the left caudate/thalamic region and the right inferior frontal occipital fasciculus. As stated in the Luciana et al. (2013) summary above, these longitudinal data causally show how adolescent binge drinking impacts neurocircuitry involved in behavioural regulation, attention and executive function, in a way that the cross-sectional studies cannot. The impact of adolescent AU on these regions is particularly concerning, given the role of these hubs in information processing.
