n = 17; 9 females). Looking back at the baseline fMRI data when both groups were 13–14 years of age, AU youth showed less task-relevant activation than non-AU youth during inhibitory trials in 12 brain regions (left dlPFC, left superior and middle frontal gyri, right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral medial frontal gyrus, bilateral paracentral lobules/cingulate gyrus, left cingulate, left putamen, left and right middle temporal gyri, left and right inferior parietal lobules and pons). There were no regions in which non-AU youth showed more activation than AU youth. AU youth showed less than expected response across areas important to inhibition and substance use vulnerability (right inferior frontal, right parietal, left cingulate). The authors suggest that these findings reflect delayed maturation of inhibitory networks, which may place youth on a neurodevelopmental trajectory linked to difficulties with cognitive control and substance use later in adolescence.
