Cognitive Control Moderates the Link Between Hedonia and Substance Use Across Adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmentally sensitive period that involves physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioral changes with implications for increases in sensation seeking and risk-taking behaviors, including substance use (Casey et al., 2010; Somerville et al., 2010). Though previous research has demonstrated that substance use during adolescence affects brain development and is associated with poorer cognitive functioning (Squeglia & Gray, 2016; Lees et al., 2020), it remains unclear whether cognitive control functions as a risk or protective factor for later substance use during this period (Kim-Spoon et al., in press). Additionally, research posits that hedonic dysregulation is evident in addiction and substance use disorders (Koob & Moal, 1997). As such, the present study aimed to better understand the role of cognitive control in the relationship between pleasurable, or hedonic, experiences and substance use during adolescence.

Participants included 167 adolescents (53% male). Adolescents were 13 or 14 years old at Time 1 and were assessed at four time points, annually. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to confirm the validity of hedonia as a construct, with three indicators, including the BAS subscale on The Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS: Carver & White, 1994), the positive affect subscale on The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Laurent et al., 1999), and the High Intensity Pleasure sub-scale on the Early Temperament Questionnaire- Revised Short Form (EATQ-R; Capaldi & Rothbart, 1992). For further analyses, an average composite score of the three indicators of hedonia was used. Substance use (including alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use) was assessed using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS; Kann, et al., 2015). Adolescents participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session where blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response was monitored during the Multi-Source- Interference Task (MSIT: Bush, Shin, Holmes, Rosen, & Vogt, 2003) in order to assess cognitive control. Data were acquired using a 3T Tim Trio scanner, and SPM 8 was used to process and analyze the fMRI data.

A two-group (low versus high cognitive control; separately for behavioral versus neural measures) growth curve model of substance use with hedonia as a time-varying covariate was conducted. A linear growth model of substance use provided best fit for the data (χ2 = 7.65, df = 5, p = .18, RMSEA = .06, CFI = .99). The slope was positive, suggesting that substance use increased overtime. Additionally, hedonia predicted substance use for adolescents with low neural cognitive control, such that those with higher levels of hedonia exhibited greater substance use, but not for adolescents with high neural cognitive control (see Figure 1; χ2 = 56.91, df = 40 p = .04, RMSEA = .07, CFI = .95).

The current study demonstrates the importance of cognitive control as a risk factor for substance use in adolescents who exhibit high hedonic and sensation seeking tendencies. As such, for adolescents at risk of hedonia and thereby substance use, intervention efforts may consider strengthening cognitive control in attempt to mitigate cascading risk for deleterious outcomes.

Authors

• Morgan Lindenmuth, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  Presenting Author

• Toria Herd, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alexis Brieant, Yale University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jacob Lee, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathryn Tarnai, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brooks King-Casas, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jungmeen Kim-Spoon, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author