NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmentally critical period when youth exhibit increasing rates of drug experimentation and problematic use and onset of substance use disorders (SUDs). The underlying neuropsychosocial characteristics of these behaviors can be better explored with the implementation of new technologies such as using social media to recruit large sample groups of substance-using individuals, mining of big datasets to identify novel neurobehavioral indices of risk for SUD, and developing new neuroimaging and psychosocial studies for improved early identification and treatment of adolescent SUDs.