As with the structural studies, several functional studies showed gender differences, which did not represent a broad divergence from non-AU youth, but rather increased activation for AU females versus non-AU females, as compared with decreased activation for AU males versus non-AU males (Caldwell et al., 2005; Squeglia et al., 2011). These findings have been interpreted in the broader literature, as representing the unique risk that alcohol consumption might have for girls (e.g., Jacobus & Tapert, 2013; Lisdahl et al., 2013a; Spear, 2014). How this risk translates to future behavioural sequelae for AU girls is an important area for future exploration.
