The brain in social context: A systematic review of substance use and social processing from adolescence to young adulthood

Beard, Sarah Jean; Yoon, Leehyun; Venticinque, Joseph S.; Shepherd, Nathan E.; Guyer, Amanda E.

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101147

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 171 publications

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“…However, real-world social influence is multifaceted, and there is limited research exploring individual differences in neural function in response to naturalistic peer cues in substance use contexts (Beard et al, 2022). In this study, we find that the direction and degree of susceptibility to alcohol-related conversations vary based on mental representations of specific peers within one's social group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Neural moderators of social influence susceptibility on drinking

Jovanova,

Stanoi,

Scholz

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Objectives: Conversations shape health behaviors. However, individuals vary in susceptibility to conversational influence and in their neural responses that track such influences. We examined whether activity in brain regions associated with social rewards and making sense of others’ minds was related to drinking following conversations about alcohol. We studied ten social groups of college students (total N = 104 students; 4760 total observations) across two University campuses. Methods: We collected whole-brain fMRI data while participants viewed photographs of the faces of peers with whom they tended to drink at varying frequencies (i.e., drinking vs. non-drinking peers). Next, using mobile diaries, we tracked alcohol-related conversations and alcohol use twice daily for 28 days. Results: On average, talking about alcohol was associated with a higher probability of drinking the following day. Controlling for baseline drinking, participants who responded more strongly to drinking peers—with whom they drank more frequently— in brain regions associated with social rewards and mentalizing showed higher susceptibility to conversational influence on drinking. Conversely, stronger neural responses to non-drinking peers—with whom they drank less frequently—decoupled the link between alcohol conversations and next-day drinking. Conclusions: These findings conceptually replicate prior findings linking peer conversations and drinking behavior in a longitudinal, ecologically valid setting, and provide new evidence that brain sensitivity to peers may exacerbate or buffer conversational susceptibility to drink.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Neural moderators of social influence susceptibility on drinking

Jovanova,

Stanoi,

Scholz

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Previous work also has implicated these regions in the processing of social information (Bukowski, 2018; Deen et al, 2015; Genevsky et al, 2017; Mars et al, 2012a) as well as the processing of social alcohol cues (Groefsema et al, 2020; Maleki et al, 2022). Given the relevance of social context to substance use and abuse (Beard et al, 2022; Shadur & Hussong, 2014; Volkow et al, 2011), our results may indicate that increased activation in these regions is a common thread between increased sub-clinical substance use and responsivity to rewards experienced with peers. Such a relationship is consistent with the notion that peer presence can moderate the rewarding effects of drug use and predicts similarity in substance use habits among non-problematic users (Shadur & Hussong, 2014; Strickland & Smith, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Social Context and Reward Sensitivity Enhance Corticostriatal Function during Experiences of Shared Rewards

Zaff,

Wyngaarden,

Dennison

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Although prior research has demonstrated enhanced striatal response when sharing rewards with close social connections, less is known about how individual differences affect ventral striatal (VS) activation and connectivity when experiencing rewards within social contexts. Given that self-reported reward sensitivity and level of substance use have been associated with differences in VS activation, we set out to investigate whether these factors would be independently associated with enhancements to neural reward responses within social contexts. In this pre-registered study, participants (N=45) underwent fMRI while playing a card guessing game in which correct or incorrect guesses resulted in monetary gains and losses that were shared evenly with either a close friend, stranger (confederate), or non-human partner. Consistent with our prior work, we found increased VS activation when sharing rewards with a socially close peer as opposed to an out-of-network stranger. As self-reported reward sensitivity increased, the difference in VS response to rewards shared with friends and strangers decreased. We also found enhanced connectivity between the VS and temporoparietal junction when sharing rewards with close friends as opposed to strangers. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed that as reward sensitivity and sub-clinical substance use increase, the difference in VS connectivity with the right fusiform face area increases as a function of social context. These findings demonstrate that responsivity to the context of close friends may be tied to individual reward sensitivity or sub-clinical substance use habits; together these factors may inform predictions of risk for future mental health disorders.

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“…Very few studies have investigated the impact of subclinical substance use on processing social rewards (see Beard et al ., 2022 ). However, our finding that substance use is associated with blunted brain activation (TPJ) and connectivity (VS–dmPFC) for social compared to monetary rewards is in line with the handful of recent studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, it may be that those with substance use problems exhibit disrupted regulation of reward processing, particularly in the social domain. More specifically, individuals whose corticostriatal systems are not engaged during rewarding social encounters may subsequently pursue rewarding experiences via alternative means, potentially including substances ( Beard et al ., 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corticostriatal responses to social reward are linked to trait reward sensitivity and subclinical substance use in young adults

Wyngaarden,

Johnston,

Sazhin

et al. 2024

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

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Aberrant levels of reward sensitivity have been linked to substance use disorder and are characterized by alterations in reward processing in the ventral striatum (VS). Less is known about how reward sensitivity and subclinical substance use relate to striatal function during social rewards (e.g., positive peer feedback). Testing this relation is critical for predicting risk for development of substance use disorder. In this pre-registered study, participants (N=44) underwent fMRI while completing well-matched tasks that assess neural response to reward in social and monetary domains. Contrary to our hypotheses, aberrant reward sensitivity blunted the relationship between substance use and striatal activation during receipt of rewards, regardless of domain. Moreover, exploratory whole-brain analyses showed unique relations between substance use and social rewards in temporoparietal junction. Psychophysiological interactions demonstrated that aberrant reward sensitivity is associated with increased connectivity between the VS and ventromedial prefrontal cortex during social rewards. Finally, we found that substance use was associated with decreased connectivity between the VS and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex for social rewards, independent of reward sensitivity. These findings demonstrate nuanced relations between reward sensitivity and substance use, even among those without substance use disorder, and suggest altered reward-related engagement of cortico-VS responses as potential predictors of developing disordered behavior.

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The brain in social context: A systematic review of substance use and social processing from adolescence to young adulthood

Cited by 8 publications

References 171 publications

Neural moderators of social influence susceptibility on drinking

Neural moderators of social influence susceptibility on drinking

Social Context and Reward Sensitivity Enhance Corticostriatal Function during Experiences of Shared Rewards

Corticostriatal responses to social reward are linked to trait reward sensitivity and subclinical substance use in young adults

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