Neural Correlates of Social Influence on Risk Taking and Substance Use in Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose of Review Adolescents often engage in elevated levels of risk taking that gives rise to substance use. Family and peers constitute the primary contextual risk factors for adolescent substance use. This report reviews how families and peers influence adolescent neurocognitive development to inform their risk taking and subsequent substance use. Recent Findings Developmental neuroscience using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has identified regions of the brain involved in social cognition, cognitive control, and reward processing that are integrally linked to social influence on adolescent risk taking. These neural mechanisms play a role in how peer and family influence (e.g., physical presence, relationship quality, rejection) translates into adolescent substance use. Summary Peers and families can independently, and in tandem, contribute to adolescent substance use, for better or for worse. We propose that future work utilize fMRI to investigate the neural mechanisms involved in different aspects of peer and family influence, and how these contexts uniquely and interactively influence adolescent substance use initiation and escalation across development.

Maternal Buffering of Adolescent Dysregulation in Socially Appetitive Contexts: From Behavior to the Brain

“…Although maternal buffering during childhood has been shown to promote regulation for basic emotions (i.e., sadness, anger, fear; Gee et al., ), adolescents have developed competence discriminating these emotions (Tottenham, Hare, & Casey, ) and making decisions in more simple contexts (e.g., unknown adult expressing a high valence facial expression; Steinberg, ). However, given that adolescents are sensitive to dynamic social contexts, such as interacting with high status peers and risk taking alongside friends (Albert, Chein, & Steinberg, ; Telzer, Rogers, & van Hoorn, ), maternal buffering during adolescence may be specific to promoting adolescent regulation in these more complex and socially salient contexts, underscoring adolescence as a time of opportunity for receiving maternal support.…”

Neural correlates of sibling closeness and association with externalizing behavior in adolescence

“…The field of social neuroscience has witnessed a surge of research focusing on the neural mechanisms that underlie how social relationships may influence adolescent decision-making and externalizing behavior (Schriber and Guyer, 2016 ; Telzer et al ., 2017 ). However, the theoretical and empirical emphasis of this research has been focused solely on parent and peer relationships, and has not addressed relationships with siblings.…”

“…Although no research to date has examined the unique role of siblings, evidence from neuroimaging research on parents and peers provides a compelling framework for examining siblings. The exaggerated focus on social cues during adolescence has been explained as a neurobiological phenomenon—that is, adolescents may be neurobiologically susceptible to social influence (Schriber and Guyer, 2016 ; Telzer et al ., 2017 ). The adolescent brain is proposed to act as a pathway that explains, in part, the association between social contexts and adolescent decision-making (Telzer et al ., 2017 ).…”

“…The exaggerated focus on social cues during adolescence has been explained as a neurobiological phenomenon—that is, adolescents may be neurobiologically susceptible to social influence (Schriber and Guyer, 2016 ; Telzer et al ., 2017 ). The adolescent brain is proposed to act as a pathway that explains, in part, the association between social contexts and adolescent decision-making (Telzer et al ., 2017 ). Specifically, the quality of social relationships is associated with adolescent neural activity when making cautious decisions to avoid risks.…”

“…Stormshak et al ., 2004 ; Defoe et al ., 2013 ). Although developmental social neuroscience has investigated the role of parent and peer relationships on adolescent decisions to take risks or play it safe (Telzer et al ., 2017 ), no prior study has examined sibling relationships. Because sibling relationships are an important and understudied factor in adolescent decision-making, the aim of this study is to investigate whether sibling closeness is associated with differences in neural processes during safe decision-making, and in turn less externalizing behavior, above and beyond relationships with parents and peers.…”