Work

Adolescent mice, unlike adults, consume more alcohol in the presence of peers than alone

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: One hallmark of adolescent risk-taking is that it typically occurs when adolescents are with peers. It has been hypothesized that the presence of peers primes a reward-sensitive motivational state that overwhelms adolescents' immature capacity for inhibitory control. We examined this hypothesis using a rodent model. A sample of mice were raised in same-sex triads and were tested for alcohol consumption either as juveniles or as adults, with half in each age group tested alone and half tested with their cagemates. The presence of 'peers' increased alcohol consumption among adolescent mice, but not adults. The peer effect on human adolescent reward-seeking may reflect a hard-wired, evolutionarily conserved process through which the presence of agemates increases individuals' sensitivity to potential rewards in their immediate environment.

Source: Developmental Science

DOI: 10.1111/desc.12101

Authors: Sheree Logue, Jason Chein, Thomas Gould, Erica Holliday, Laurence Steinberg

Institution: Temple University

Language: English

Topic: Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Pennsylvania Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Jacobs Foundation, National Institute on Drug Abuse