Adolescent Binge Drinking Research Articles

Reduced cerebellar brain activity during reward processing in adolescent binge drinkers

Due to ongoing development, adolescence may be a period of heightened vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol. Binge drinking may alter reward-driven behavior and neurocircuitry, thereby increasing risk for escalating alcohol use. Therefore, we compared reward processing in adolescents with and without a history of recent binge drinking. At their baseline study visit, all participants (age=14.86±0.88) were free of heavy alcohol use and completed a modified version of the Wheel of Fortune (WOF) functional magnetic resonance imaging task. Following this visit, 17 youth reported binge drinking on ≥3 occasions within a 90 day period and were matched to 17 youth who remained alcohol and substance-naïve. All participants repeated the WOF task during a second visit (age=16.83±1.22). No significant effects were found in a region of interest analysis of the ventral striatum, but whole-brain analyses showed significant group differences in reward response at the second study visit in the left cerebellum, controlling for baseline visit brain activity (p/α<0.05), which was negatively correlated with mean number of drinks consumed/drinking day in the last 90 days. These findings suggest that binge drinking during adolescence may alter brain activity during reward processing in a dose-dependent manner.

Effectiveness of a selective intervention program targeting personality risk factors for alcohol misuse among young adolescents: results of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

The effectiveness of Preventure was tested on drinking behaviour of young adolescents in secondary education in the Netherlands. A cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out, with participants assigned randomly to a two-session coping skills intervention or a control no-intervention condition. Fifteen secondary schools throughout the Netherlands; seven schools in the intervention and eight schools in the control condition. A total of 699 adolescents aged 13-15 years participated, 343 allocated to the intervention and 356 to the control condition, with drinking experience and elevated scores in either negative thinking, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity or sensation-seeking. Preventure is a selective school-based alcohol prevention programme targeting personality risk factors. The comparator was a no-intervention control. The effects of the intervention on the primary outcome past-month binge drinking, and the secondary outcomes binge drinking frequency, alcohol use, alcohol frequency and problem drinking, were examined. The primary analyses of interest were intervention main effects at 12 months post-intervention. In addition, intervention effects on the linear development of binge drinking using a latent-growth curve approach were examined. Binge drinking rates were not significantly different between the intervention (42.9%) and control group (49.2%) at 12 months follow-up [odds ratio (OR) = 1.05, confidence interval (CI) = 0.99, 1.11]. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed no significant intervention effects on alcohol use (53.9 versus 61.5%; OR = 0.99, CI = 0.86, 1.14) and problem drinking (37.0 versus 44.7%; OR = 1.03, CI = 0.92, 1.10) at 12 months follow-up. The post-hoc latent-growth analyses revealed significant effects on the development of binge drinking (β = -0.16, P = 0.05), and binge drinking frequency (β = -0.14, P = 0.05). The alcohol prevention programme, Preventure, appears to have little or no effect on overall prevalence of binge drinking in adolescents in the Netherlands but may reduce the development of binge drinking over time.

Binge drinking during adolescence disrupts Se homeostasis and its main hepatic selenoprotein expression.

Binge drinking (BD) is the most common ethanol (EtOH) intake consumption model among teenagers, but little is known about its effects on the liver. During its hepatic metabolism, acute alcohol exposure produces a great amount of reactive oxygen species which contributes to alcohol-induced liver injury. Selenium (Se) plays a key role in antioxidant defense as it forms part of selenoproteins, such as the antioxidant glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) or the selenoprotein P (SelP), synthesized mainly in liver. Chronic EtOH consumption decreases both Se deposits and this tissue's antioxidant activity. Two BD administration routes (oral and intraperitoneal) were used in adolescent rats to analyze Se homeostasis; the main hepatic selenoproteins' expression: GPx1, GPx4, and SelP, and their biological roles related to oxidation. Their relationship with inflammatory processes was also determined by analyzing the expression of the transcriptional factor nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB). It has been demonstrated for the first time that BD in adolescents alters Se homeostasis regardless of the administration route employed, despite the fact that the BD oral group ingested less Se in diet. This decrease of Se in serum and liver is directly related to a decrease in serum GPx3 and hepatic GPx1 activity, contributing to the oxidative imbalance found. The depletion of Se detected in liver affects GPx1 expression and, surprisingly, GPx4 expression. This could be related to the lower expression of the transcriptional factor NF-κB in the liver, a key player in the regulation of inflammatory processes. Due to the above, and to find whether a Se supplementation therapy improves these situations, it would be interesting to explore in more depth the relationship between Se, the high oxidation found, and the depressed immune response reported in BD adolescents.

Web-based interventions to decrease alcohol use in adolescents: a Delphi study about increasing effectiveness and reducing drop-out.

BackgroundWeb-based computer-tailored (CT) interventions have a high potential to reach a large number of people and effectively change health risk behaviors and their determinants. However, effect studies show small and variable effect sizes, and these interventions also suffer from high drop-out. In this study we explored how Web-based CT interventions can be used effectively to reduce binge drinking in 16- to 18-year-old adolescents.MethodA three-round Delphi study was conducted. We invited experts to identify strategies to be used in Web-based CT interventions that can effectively decrease binge drinking in adolescents and to rate these strategies by importance. We asked to discriminate between interventions targeted for adolescents and those targeted for parents. Furthermore, we asked experts to suggest strategies for reducing drop-out and to indicate their importance.ResultsImportant strategies mentioned by the experts were: encouraging parents to set appropriate rules, encouraging consistent communication, and training refusal skills among adolescents. Concerning the reduction of drop-out from Web-based CT interventions experts came up with suggestions involving the content of the intervention (e.g., relevant material, use of language, tailored messages) but also involving the use of reminders and incentives.ConclusionsThe results of this explorative study provide useful strategies to increase effectiveness and decrease drop-out in future interventions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1639-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Adolescent Binge Drinking as a Risk Factor for Depression/anxiety Disorders: Findings From a 4-year Follow-up Community Study

Introduction Binge drinking and mental health problems in the depression/anxiety spectrum often begin in adolescence as co-occurring phenomena. Objective and Aims To evaluate the mediating role of socioeconomic status in the association between binge drinking and adolescent depression/anxiety. Method A prospective cohort study of adolescents (n=3008), with 4 follow-up assessments between July 2006 and July 2010. Setting Family Panel, Institut d’Infancia i Mon Urba, Catalonia. Participants Adolescents and their parents. Measurements The presence or absence of a diagnosis of depression/anxiety was determined at T1 and at T4 in interviews with parents. Binge drinking, defined as 2 monthly binges or more, was assessed at T1, T2 and T3 through interviews with the adolescent study participants, and the responses recorded as variables (yes or no). Age, sex, income, parents’ level of education, number of friends, peer pressure, parental pressure, and risk-prone friends were included as variables in data analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics and simple and multivariate logistics models were applied to study the long-term effect of alcohol consumption on depression/anxiety. Results Binge drinking is a risk factor for depression/anxiety in the last year of follow-up T3 (OR:1.7, IC 95%: 1.1-2.5). After adjusting for age and sex, the risk remains. The risk of depression decreases as household income increases (OR: 1.47, IC 95%: 0.9-2.4]. Conclusions Binge drinking increases the risk of depression and anxiety disorders mainly in adolescents from low-income families. Mental health interventions and treatment for addiction should be sensitive to the effect of socioeconomic inequalities in this age group.

Trajectories of Early Binge Drinking: A Function of Family Cohesion and Peer Use.

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we tested latent growth models examining whether the number of friends using alcohol and family cohesion were linked with trajectories of binge drinking (N = 3,342) from adolescence (average age 15.06) into young adulthood (average age 27.93). Adolescents with higher family cohesion had lower rates of binge drinking in adolescence (b = -.07, p < .05), while those with more friends drinking alcohol were more likely to binge drink in adolescence (b = .51, p < .001), young adulthood (b = .22, p < .001), and had increasing trajectories of binge drinking across 14 years (b = -.29, p < .001). Clinically, we discuss Multiple-Family Group Interventions as a potential approach.

Psychosomatic Symptoms, Smoking and Binge Drinking in Adolescence: A Nationwide Study in Greece

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate differences in smoking and binge drinking between adolescents with high and low levels of psychosomatic symptoms and explore the associations of adolescent smoking and binge drinking with self-reported psychosomatic symptoms in a large nationwide random school-based sample of Greek adolescents aged 12-18 years. Method: Adolescents with high levels of psychosomatic symptoms were compared in terms of smoking, binge drinking, gender, age and socio-economic status to their peers with lower levels of psychosomatic symptoms. In order to evaluate the multiple effects of adolescents’ smoking, binge drinking and socio-demographic features on psychosomatic symptoms, a multiple logistic regression model was constructed. Results: Adolescents with smoking and/or binge drinking practices reported higher levels of psychosomatic symptoms compared to peers with no experiences of such health-risk behaviours. Moreover, adolescents with smoking and/or binge drinking practices had an amplified risk for high levels of psychosomatic symptoms, revealing a significantly impaired psychosomatic functioning compared to abstainers. Conclusions: Professionals in school and clinical settings should be cautious for smoking and binge drinking practices when assessing adolescents with high levels of psychosomatic symptoms, so as early identification of at-risk individuals and timely, appropriate care planning is facilitated.

Alcohol binge drinking during adolescence or dependence during adulthood reduces prefrontal myelin in male rats.

Teen binge drinking is associated with low frontal white matter integrity and increased risk of alcoholism in adulthood. This neuropathology may result from alcohol exposure or reflect a pre-existing condition in people prone to addiction. Here we used rodent models with documented clinical relevance to adolescent binge drinking and alcoholism in humans to test whether alcohol damages myelinated axons of the prefrontal cortex. In Experiment 1, outbred male Wistar rats self-administered sweetened alcohol or sweetened water intermittently for 2 weeks during early adolescence. In adulthood, drinking behavior was tested under nondependent conditions or after dependence induced by 1 month of alcohol vapor intoxication/withdrawal cycles, and prefrontal myelin was examined 1 month into abstinence. Adolescent binge drinking or adult dependence induction reduced the size of the anterior branches of the corpus callosum, i.e., forceps minor (CCFM), and this neuropathology correlated with higher relapse-like drinking in adulthood. Degraded myelin basic protein in the gray matter medial to the CCFM of binge rats indicated myelin was damaged on axons in the mPFC. In follow-up studies we found that binge drinking reduced myelin density in the mPFC in adolescent rats (Experiment 2) and heavier drinking predicted worse performance on the T-maze working memory task in adulthood (Experiment 3). These findings establish a causal role of voluntary alcohol on myelin and give insight into specific prefrontal axons that are both sensitive to alcohol and could contribute to the behavioral and cognitive impairments associated with early onset drinking and alcoholism.

First drink to first drunk: age of onset and delay to intoxication are associated with adolescent alcohol use and binge drinking.

Quickly progressing from initiating alcohol use to drinking to intoxication recently was identified as a novel risk factor for hazardous drinking in college students (ME Morean etal. [2012] Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 36, 1991-1999). The current study evaluated the risk associated with age of onset (AO) and delay to first intoxication (Delay) in a high school sample. Adolescent drinkers (N=295, age 16.29 [1.14], 55.3% female, 80.3% Caucasian, AO=13.51 [2.29] years, Delay=0.80 [1.43] years) completed an anonymous survey about their substance use in February of 2010. Self-report questions assessed AO and age of first intoxication (AI) (i.e., "How old were you the first time you tried alcohol/got drunk?") and past-month alcohol use/binge drinking (i.e., How often did you drink alcohol/drink ≥5drinks?). Bivariate correlations indicated that AO was positively correlated with AI and inversely correlated with Delay, the frequency of any drinking, and the frequency of binge drinking. When considered alone, Delay was not significantly correlated with either alcohol use outcome. In contrast, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that when considered in concert, an earlier AO and a shorter Delay were each associated with heavier drinking (any drinking adjusted R(2) =0.08; binge drinking R(2) =0.06, p-values <0.001) beyond demographic characteristics. Two-way interactions among study variables were nonsignificant, suggesting that AO and Delay conferred risk similarly by racial/ethnic status, gender, and grade in high school. When considered simultaneously, both an early AO and a quick progression to drinking to intoxication appear to be important determinants of high school student drinking. In addition to continuing efforts to postpone AO, efforts designed to delay intoxication may modulate alcohol-related risk associated with early drinking.

Alcohol expectancies in childhood: change with the onset of drinking and ability to predict adolescent drunkenness and binge drinking.

We examined the relationship between alcohol expectancies in childhood and onset of drinking, binge drinking and drunkenness in adolescence and the influence of drinking onset on expectancy development. A prospective, longitudinal study of children assessed for alcohol expectancies and drinking at four time-points between ages 6 and 17 years. Community study of families at high risk for alcoholism conducted in a four-county area in the Midwestern United States. The study involved 614 children; 460 were children of alcoholics and 70% were male. Expectancies about alcohol effects were measured using the Beverage Opinion Questionnaire and child's drinking by the Drinking and Drug History-Youth Form. Partial factor invariance was found for expectancy factors from ages 6 to 17 years. Survival analysis showed that social/relaxation expectancies in childhood predicted time to onset of binge drinking and first time drunk (Wald χ(2) , 1 d.f. = 3.8, P = 0.05 and 5.0, P < 0.05, respectively). The reciprocal effect was also present; when adolescents began drinking, there was an increase in social/relaxation expectancy and a concomitant increase in slope of the expectancy changes lasting throughout adolescence. A reciprocal relationship exists between childhood alcohol expectancies and the development of alcohol involvement. Higher expectancies for positive effects predict earlier onset of problem drinking. Onset of use, in turn, predicts an increase in rate of development of positive expectancies.

SY39-4 * INFLUENCE OF SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES ON BRAIN IMMUNE SYSTEM

Alcohol-induced inflammation plays an important part in the induction of alcohol induced brain damage. Increased peripheral inflammation, with the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, possibly as a result of bacterial interaction with alcohol, acetaldehyde toxicity, macrophage stimulation or other factors, may act as important chemical messengers, which are able to traverse the blood brain barrier, BBB, and affect central nervous system function. Indeed in adolescent binge drinkers, changes in the plasma ratios of pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory cytokines are eviden. Once these cytokines have crossed the BBB, they may interact with receptors on glial cells thus enhancing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators which may lead to cognitive dysfunction. Since glial cells play an important role in the removal of neurotransmitter at the synaptic cleft, their activation may adversely affect this process thereby further contributing to cognitive dysfunction and depression. In addition increased glutamate excitotoxicity, as a result of alcohol detoxification, may contribute to the pro-inflammatory milieu. Animal studies have shown that the suppression of such an inflammatory response in the brain induced by chronic alcohol abuse and binge drinking by the administration of taurine analogues is beneficial in reducing both the inflammation and excessive glutamate production.

Associations between a history of binge drinking during adolescence and self-reported responses to alcohol in young adult Native and Mexican Americans.

Binge drinking during adolescence is common and may predict increased drinking in young adulthood and enhanced risk of alcohol dependence. Variation in level of response to the hedonic and adverse effects of alcohol is in part an inherited factor that may also influence its use, abuse, and dependence. This study investigated, in young adults, whether an association could be demonstrated between variation in self-reported responses to alcohol and a history of binge drinking during adolescence. Young adult (18 to 30 years, n = 790) Native Americans and Mexican Americans were recruited from the community and completed a structured diagnostic interview. Response to alcohol was indexed using the expectation version of the Subjective High Assessment Scale (SHAS-E). An adolescent history of regular binge drinking was defined as drinking 5 or more drinks for boys and 4 or more drinks for girls per drinking occasion at least once a month during their highest drinking period prior to the age of 18. An adolescent history of regular binge drinking was found to be associated with a lower level of self-reported responses to the negative aspects of alcohol intoxication (feeling terrible) as well as to the overall level of intoxication, but not to the positive impressions of intoxication (feeling great) on the SHAS-E. A history of regular adolescent binge drinking was also correlated with less feelings of the "terrible" and "total" effects of alcohol, as indexed by the SHAS-E, in a linear regression model that included several diagnostic and demographic variables such as a history of conduct disorder and current levels of drinking. These data suggest that a history of adolescent binge drinking is associated with a reduction in the self-reported level of intoxication in young adulthood, a factor that could theoretically lead to increased risk of alcohol dependence.

The natural history of adolescent binge drinking: Findings from a 15-year prospective cohort study

Aims: In August 2010, shipments of original OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled-release; OC) stopped and reformulated OxyContin (ORF) started. OxyContin was reformulated to render it more difficult to manipulate for the purposes of intentional abuse. This study describes changes in abuse 1–2 years after ORF introduction among individuals who had abused OC in rural Kentucky. Methods: Structured follow-up interviews assessing opioid use were conducted in 164 individuals who abused OC, 85% of the original sample of individuals interviewed about preand postORF drug use (n=192). Participants reported retrospectively about abuse, including past 30-day use via any route (days/month), in interviews conducted January 2011–April 2012, approximately 6 months after the initial interview. Results: Most participants (76%) selected OC as their preferred drug prior to ORF introduction; (66%) selected immediate release (IR) oxycodone as their preferred drug after ORF introduction. From the initial post-ORF interview to 6-month follow-up, the prevalence and frequency (days/month) of OC abuse declined (60–11% and 11.3–3.3 days/month among those who abused, respectively). During the same time period, prevalence of ORF abuse declined (33–18%); among those who were abusing ORF, frequency remained stable (5.9 vs. 5.7 days/month). At followup, 23% reported attempting to manipulate ORF for purposes of abuse, though only 1 participant selected ORF as the preferred drug. There was a decline in the prevalence of any IR oxycodone abuse (96–85%); the frequency among those abusing IR oxycodone remained relatively constant. Conclusions: OxyContin changed frombeing the preferred drug for themajority of abusers before ORF introduction to the preferred drug for <1% of abusers at follow up, while the prevalence of OC abuse declined due to decreased availability. There was a shift in preference from OC to IR oxycodone as availability of OC declined. Financial support: Supported by Purdue Pharma L.P.

Social capital and regular alcohol use and binge drinking in adolescence: A cross-sectional study in Greece

Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine the gender-specific associations of different dimensions of individual-level social capital with regular alcohol consumption and binge drinking in 16–17 years old adolescents in Crete, Greece.Methods: Of the 835 randomly selected students, 708 completed the Youth Social Capital Scale and the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire from April through June 2008 and 650 (92%) were included in this analysis. The outcome of interest was regular alcohol use and binge drinking. A gender specific backward stepwise logistic multivariate regression was performed adjusted for potential confounders.Findings: For both boys and girls, higher score on some structural social capital subscales was associated, per unit increase, with increased likelihood of regular drinking. Neighbourhood connections were also associated with increased binge drinking in girls. Cognitive social capital subscales were associated with decreased likelihood of binge drinking in girls. For both genders, total social capital-score was positively associated with the probability of regular, but not of binge drinking.Conclusions: Cognitive and structural social capital dimensions have different patterns of association with regular and binge alcohol use in adolescent boys and girls. Social capital's dimensions should receive greater emphasis for the design of effective preventive interventions in adolescence, particularly in the light of an increasing prevalence of alcohol consumption in modern societies.

Binge Drinking in Adolescents: A Review of Neurophysiological and Neuroimaging Research

While the relationship between chronic exposure to alcohol and neurobiological damage is well established, deleterious brain effects of binge drinking in youths have only recently been studied. Narrative review of studies of brain disturbances associated with binge drinking as assessed by neuroimaging (EEG and IRMf techniques in particular) in adolescent drinkers. Some major points still deserved to be investigated; directions for future research are suggested. Information and prevention programs should emphasize that binge drinking is not just inoffensive social fun, but if carried on, may contribute to the onset of cerebral disturbances possibly leading to alcohol dependence later in life.

Determinants of Binge Drinking among Adolescents in Denmark

Abstract Background and Objective: Binge drinking is a relatively common behavior among adolescents in Denmark. The aim of this study is to assess whether peer alcohol drinking, mothers’ and fathers’ attitudes toward alcohol drinking, and the adolescents’ own financial situations (e.g., the presence of pocket money) predict binge drinking among adolescents in Denmark. Methods: This study is based on the Danish data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which took place in 2011. This cross-sectional survey obtained data from 2765 adolescents who were in grade 9 in Denmark at that time. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between the outcome variable of binge drinking and the exposure variables of alcohol-drinking peers, pocket money, and mother’s/father’s approval of intoxication. Results: The risk of binge drinking increased with the number of alcohol-drinking peers (trend test, p ` .0001) and with the amount of pocket money spent (trend test, p ` .0001. The association between the mother’s approval of intoxication and binge drinking is complex. Boys had a higher risk of binge drinking (odds ratio, 2.2 [1.1-4.3]) if their mothers approved of their intoxication with alcohol; however, this association was not seen among girls (odds ratio, 1.0 [0.5-2.0]). There was no significant association between the father’s approval of intoxication and binge drinking. Conclusion: The proportion of alcohol-drinking peers and the amount of pocket money spent appear to be determinants of adolescent binge drinking. The mother’s approval of intoxication appears to be a determinant for binge drinking among boys but not among girls. The father’s approval of intoxication does not appear to be a determinant of binge drinking.

Adolescent binge ethanol treatment alters adult brain regional volumes, cortical extracellular matrix protein and behavioral flexibility

Adolescents binge drink more than any other age group, increasing risk of disrupting the development of the frontal cortex. We hypothesized that adolescent binge drinking would lead to persistent alterations in adulthood. In this study, we modeled adolescent weekend underage binge-drinking, using adolescent mice (post-natal days [P] 28–37). The adolescent intermittent binge ethanol (AIE) treatment includes 6 binge intragastric doses of ethanol in an intermittent pattern across adolescence. Assessments were conducted in adulthood following extended abstinence to determine if there were persistent changes in adults. Reversal learning, open field and other behavioral assessments as well as brain structure using magnetic imaging and immunohistochemistry were determined. We found that AIE did not impact adult Barnes Maze learning. However, AIE did cause reversal learning deficits in adults. AIE also caused structural changes in the adult brain. AIE was associated with adulthood volume enlargements in specific brain regions without changes in total brain volume. Enlarged regions included the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, 4%), cerebellum (4.5%), thalamus (2%), internal capsule (10%) and genu of the corpus callosum (7%). The enlarged OFC volume in adults after AIE is consistent with previous imaging studies in human adolescents. AIE treatment was associated with significant increases in the expression of several extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the adult OFC including WFA (55%), Brevican (32%), Neurocan (105%), Tenacin-C (25%), and HABP (5%). These findings are consistent with AIE causing persistent changes in brain structure that could contribute to a lack of behavioral flexibility.

Adolescent binge drinking and risky health behaviours: Findings from northern Russia

BackgroundSome evidence suggests that in recent years the prevalence of heavy drinking has increased among Russian adolescents. However, as yet, little is known about either heavy alcohol consumption or its relationship with other adolescent health risk behaviours in Russia. The aim of this study therefore was to investigate the association between binge drinking and health risk behaviours among adolescents in Russia. MethodsData were drawn from the Social and Health Assessment (SAHA), a survey carried out in Arkhangelsk, Russia in 2003. Information was obtained from a representative sample of 2868 adolescents aged 13–17 regarding the prevalence and frequency of binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row in a couple of hours) and different forms of substance use, risky sexual behaviour and violent behaviour. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between binge drinking and adolescent involvement in various health risk behaviours. ResultsAdolescent binge drinking was associated with the occurrence of every type of health risk behaviour – with the sole exception of non-condom use during last sex. In addition, there was a strong association between the number of days on which binge drinking occurred and the prevalence of many health risk behaviours. ConclusionsBinge drinking is associated with a variety of health risk behaviours among adolescents in Russia. Public health interventions such as reducing the affordability and accessibility of alcohol are now needed to reduce binge drinking and its harmful effects on adolescent well-being.

Adolescent risk perception, substance use, and educational attainment

This paper studies whether adolescents who are more aware of the risks on substance use in the early teenage years are later less likely to turn into binge drinkers or smokers. It also examines if reduction in substance use, due to high risk perception among adolescents, consequently improves their educational achievement. This research is important for two reasons. First, enhancing risk perception of substance use is an important strategy to prevent the youth from binge drinking and smoking. Second, adolescent substance use and educational achievement are key predictors of adulthood outcomes. We apply a bivariate probit model to a large representative dataset which codes youth risk perception, substance use, and educational attainment. The analysis shows high risk perception lowers the likelihood of substance use among the high school seniors. The resulting low alcohol use increases the chance of attending college and decreases the probability of dropping out of high school. The reduction in cigarette use caused by high risk perception has a similar effect on such two educational outcomes. It also increases high school graduation by 22%. Overall, this study suggests that enhancing recognition on the hazards of substance use is an effective policy intervention to reduce adolescent binge drinking and smoking, as well as improve educational attainment.

Using Autopsy Brain Tissue to Study Alcohol-Related Brain Damage in the Genomic Age

The New South Wales Tissue Resource Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia, is one of the few human brain banks dedicated to the study of the effects of chronic alcoholism. The bank was affiliated in 1994 as a member of the National Network of Brain Banks and also focuses on schizophrenia and healthy control tissue. Alcohol abuse is a major problem worldwide, manifesting in such conditions as fetal alcohol syndrome, adolescent binge drinking, alcohol dependency, and alcoholic neurodegeneration. The latter is also referred to as alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD). The study of postmortem brain tissue is ideally suited to determining the effects of long-term alcohol abuse, but it also makes an important contribution to understanding pathogenesis across the spectrum of alcohol misuse disorders and potentially other neurodegenerative diseases. Tissue from the bank has contributed to 330 peer-reviewed journal articles including 120 related to alcohol research. Using the results of these articles, this review chronicles advances in alcohol-related brain research since 2003, the so-called genomic age. In particular, it concentrates on transcriptomic approaches to the pathogenesis of ARBD and builds on earlier reviews of structural changes (Harper etal. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2003;27:951) and proteomics (Matsumoto etal. Expert Rev Proteomics 2007;4:539).