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The Brain, Addiction, and the Adolescence
reisch Psy.D.
Family Therapist
lkin, BA, CDP
ance Abuse Counselor
Presentation
Topics:
scence,
and Addiction
Basic brain structure
Adolescent brain development
Addiction: Definition and physiology
Treatment access and assessment
Early intervention
How you can help
RE AND FUNCTIONS
aveats
• New discoveries – research still in its infancy
• Do NOT over-interpret or interpret too simplistically
• Most research has been conducted on animals
• Brain interactions are complex
TRUCTURES
• Frontal Lobe
• Cerebellum
• Parietal Lobe
• Corpus Callosum
• Temporal Lobe
• Brain Stem
• Occipital Lobe
N OF THE LOBES
• The different lobes of the brain work together
• Each area makes contributions to certain functions,
TURE & FUNCTION
ntal Lobe
•
Seat of personality, judgment, reasoning, problem solving, and ration
•
Provides for logic and understanding of consequences
•
Governs impulsivity, aggression, ability to organize thoughts, and pla
•
Controls capacity for abstraction, attention, cognitive flexibility, and g
•
Undergoes significant changes during adolescence — not fully deve
olb & Wishaw, 2009)
TURE & FUNCTION
ntal Lobe
• The “prefrontal cortex” matures through experience
• Prefrontal cortex is one of the last areas of the brain
• Increased need for structure, mentoring, guidance
b & Wishaw, 2009)
TURE & FUNCTION
poral Lobe
•
Contains the limbic-reward system (amygdala, hippocampus, nucleu
•
•
Regulates emotions and motivations—particularly those related to
Matures around ages 18-19
b & Wishaw, 2009)
TURE & FUNCTION
ain Stem
• All nerve fibers pass through this area
• Performs sensory, motor, and reflex functions
• Contains vital nerve centers that control breathing,
• Connects the brain with the body
b & Wishaw, 2009)
IN CIRCUITRY
● Neuron: specialized cell designed to transmit inform
● Each neuron consists of a cell body, axon, and dendrite
● Axon: an electricity-conducting fiber that carries info
● Dendrite: receives messages from other neurons
● Synapse: contact point where one neuron “commun
olb & Wishaw, 2009)
RAIN DEVELOPMENT
RAIN DEVELOPMENT
• Adolescence is a period of profound brain maturatio
• We thought brain development was complete by ad
• We now know maturation is not complete until abou
RAIN DEVELOPMENT
Maturation occurs from the back of the brain to the fro
RAIN DEVELOPMENT
Prefrontal cortex is NOT fully developed in adolescenc
• Prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher levels of th
-decision making
-planning
-organizing
-coordinating
RAIN DEVELOPMENT
The amygdala
• The emotional center
• Amygdala and nucleus accumbens (limbic system within th
• Adolescents tend to rely on it more than adults when proce
RAIN DEVELOPMENT
Adolescent brain
Adult Brain
TION AND PRUNING
TION AND PRUNING
• Brain-imaging research reveals continued pruning o
• This means use it or lose it! What is practiced durin
(Giedd et al., 1999; Keating, 2004; Sowell et al., 2002)
TION AND PRUNING
URONS
• Neurons become more responsive to excitatory neu
• Stress AND pleasure are experienced more intense
• These changes likely play a role in the drive for nov
007; Spear, 2003)
T RISKY BEHAVIOR
T RISKY BEHAVIOR
• Adolescents are more likely than older/younger indi
• Recent research indicates that adolescents’ decisio
in, Hussong & Beltran, 2009; Gardner & Steinberg, 2005; Chein et al., 2011)
LYING
ADOLESCENT
BEHAVIOR
● Joint
contribution of 2RISKY
brain systems
affect adolescent
● Incentive Processing System – involves ventral striatum (VS
● Cognitive Control System – involves lateral prefrontal cortex
08; Luna, Padmanabhan & O’Hearn, 2010)
YING ADOLESCENT RISKY BEHAVIOR
• Both systems undergo considerable modification durin
• Dramatic remodeling of the incentive processing system
• Cognitive Control System undergoes comparatively gra
2009; Asato, Terwilliger, Woo & Luna, 2010; Giedd, 2008)
mean for adolescents?
• Preference for physical activity
• Less than optimal planning and judgment
• More risky, impulsive behaviors
• Minimal consideration of negative consequences
• Misinterpretation of emotional cues
• Easier for adolescents to become addicted to mood alte
ADDICTION: DEFINITIONS AND
PHYSIOLOGY
s addiction?
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction a
“... a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and
he brain get addicted?
Addiction occurs when repeated use of drugs changes how a person
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-adolescent-substance-use-disorder-treatment-research-based-guide/frequently-asked-questions/how-do-adolescents-become-addicted-to-drugs-which-fa
gy of addiction
Limbic-Reward System
• Drugs of abuse activate the reward system in the limbic area of the b
• Fool brain into thinking that they are necessary for survival
• Desire to repeat drug using behavior is strong
• Drugs of abuse can/do exert powerful control over behavior because
pact of drug use
• The brain has a hard time experiencing pleasu
• Impairment in cognitive functioning
• Impairment in judgement and self-control
(NIDA, 2014)
xperiencing they are more at risk to struggle
k Factors
Associations with drug using peers
Prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol
Genetic vulnerability
History of physical and/or sexual abuse or other forms of trauma|
Learning disabilities or other deficits in executive functioning
ork to balance or counteract risk factors, making it u
-NIDA
nselors, parents, or other adults look for?
ance abuse or addiction:
●
a change in peer group
●
carelessness with grooming
●
decline in academic performance
●
missing classes or skipping school
●
loss of interest in favorite activities
●
changes in eating or sleeping habits
●
deteriorating relationships with family members and friends
nd Treatment access
n assessment?
scent get an assessment?
ment for adolescents…
-involves inclusion of family and peer group
-integrates community systems such as school and at
-emphasizes pro-social peer relationships
(NIDA, 2012)
sources
This link is especially important because it will provide you with a list of all treatment agencies and the s
This site includes treatment data and admission statistics.
This document provides trends in adolescent substance abuse.
This provides a list of treatment centers that accept public funding.
This is the National Institute for Drug Abuse website. Here you can find free publications about drug abu
erences
Asato, M. R., Terwilliger, R., Woo, J., & Luna, B. (2010). White matter development in adolescen
Berk, L. E. (2007). Development through the lifespan, fourth edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Casey, B. J., Getz, S., & Galvan, A. (2008). The adolescent brain. Developmental Review, 28(1
Chassin, L., Hussong, A., & Beltran, I. (2009). Adolescent substance use. In R. Lerner & L. Stei
Chein, J., Albert, D., O’Brien, L., Uckert, K., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Peers increase adolescent r
Garner, M., & Steinberg, L. (2005). Peer influence on risk taking, risk preference, and risky deci
erences
Giedd, J. N., Blumenthal, J., Jeffries, N. O., Castellanos, F. X., Liu, H., & Zijdenbos, A. (1999). B
Giedd, J. N. (2008). The teen brain: insights from neuroimaging. Journal of Adolescent Health, 4
Keating, D. P., (2004). Cognitive and brain development. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.),
Kolb, B., & Wishaw, I. Q. (2009). Fundamentals of human neuropsychology, sixth edition. New York: Worth.
Laviola, G., Pascucci, T., & Pieretti, S. (2001). Striatal dopamine sensitization to D-amphetamine in periadolescent but not in adult rats. Pharma
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erences
Simons-Morton, B., Lerner, N., & Singer, J. (2005). The observed effects of teenage passengers
Sowel, E. R., Trauner, D. A., Gamst, A., & Jernigan, T. (2002). Development of cortical and subc
Spear, L. P. (2003). Neurodevelopment during adolescence. In D. Cicchetti & E. Walker (Eds.),
Spear, L. (2009). The behavioral neuroscience of adolescence. New York: Norton.
Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Development