• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment Medical Research

Brain network activity may offer clues to future drinking behaviors of adolescents

May 30, 2025
in Medical Research
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
stressed teen
4
SHARES
8
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


stressed teen
Credit: Photo By: Kaboompics.com from Pexels

Measuring the interaction of brain networks could potentially help identify teens at risk for dangerous drinking, according to a novel study that explored how brain signals relate to future drinking behavior. Alcohol use commonly starts and escalates during adolescence, which is a key period for brain development. Drinking can alter brain development in ways that increase the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Understanding which factors predispose some teens to heavier or more frequent alcohol use could help prevent AUD and its associated burdens. While previous research has examined the brain’s structure for clues to teens’ future drinking risk, a study of functional brain network dynamics—how brain regions communicate with each other from moment-to-moment—may hold more promise.

For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators in North Carolina explored whether brain network dynamics could help predict drinking in adolescents.

The researchers worked with MRI data from 295 17-year-old participants who either did not use alcohol or who drank lightly: 52% were female, 73% were white, and 11% were Hispanic. This data came from the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA). Participants underwent functional MRI scans—to measure their brain function at rest.

Using this data, investigators examined how participants’ brains moved through a sequence of brain “states,” the first time this approach has been applied to teen drinking. One year after their brain scans, the participants completed a questionnaire detailing their alcohol use since the scan.

The researchers used drinking frequency and drinking intensity (the largest amount of alcohol consumed in one time period) as behavioral markers. Statistical analysis explored the relationship between time spent in brain states at age 17 and drinking behavior over the next year. Analyses also explored whether findings varied by sex.

During the brain scans, time spent in various brain states was similar among those who used any alcohol in the year following their scans and those who did not. Among people who drank, however, researchers identified associations between the time spent in certain brain states and future drinking frequency.

More time in a state with high activation in the brain’s Default Mode Network—a network associated with mental health and behavior—was linked to fewer drinking days over the next year, suggesting that more time in that state may protect against future alcohol use. For other brain states, the relationships between time spent in the state and future drinking frequency differed by sex; this is the first study to find this difference.

Brain dynamics among teens who didn’t drink or drank lightly were linked to future drinking frequency but not to drinking intensity. It’s possible that brain dynamics, which may potentially flag vulnerability to AUD, are more informative about the regularity of behaviors than the sporadic intensity of behaviors.

Some variations in outcomes by sex should be interpreted cautiously until corroborated. In addition, although resting-state brain activity has been shown to indicate future behaviors, how teen brain dynamics might differ in a real-life environment is not known.

More information:
Mary Beth Miller et al, The Drinking Dashboard for alcohol‐induced blackout: A randomized pilot trial, Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research (2025). DOI: 10.1111/acer.70042

Provided by
Research Society on Alcoholism


Citation:
Brain network activity may offer clues to future drinking behaviors of adolescents (2025, May 30)
retrieved 30 May 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-brain-network-clues-future-behaviors.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.



stressed teen
Credit: Photo By: Kaboompics.com from Pexels

Measuring the interaction of brain networks could potentially help identify teens at risk for dangerous drinking, according to a novel study that explored how brain signals relate to future drinking behavior. Alcohol use commonly starts and escalates during adolescence, which is a key period for brain development. Drinking can alter brain development in ways that increase the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Understanding which factors predispose some teens to heavier or more frequent alcohol use could help prevent AUD and its associated burdens. While previous research has examined the brain’s structure for clues to teens’ future drinking risk, a study of functional brain network dynamics—how brain regions communicate with each other from moment-to-moment—may hold more promise.

For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators in North Carolina explored whether brain network dynamics could help predict drinking in adolescents.

The researchers worked with MRI data from 295 17-year-old participants who either did not use alcohol or who drank lightly: 52% were female, 73% were white, and 11% were Hispanic. This data came from the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA). Participants underwent functional MRI scans—to measure their brain function at rest.

Using this data, investigators examined how participants’ brains moved through a sequence of brain “states,” the first time this approach has been applied to teen drinking. One year after their brain scans, the participants completed a questionnaire detailing their alcohol use since the scan.

The researchers used drinking frequency and drinking intensity (the largest amount of alcohol consumed in one time period) as behavioral markers. Statistical analysis explored the relationship between time spent in brain states at age 17 and drinking behavior over the next year. Analyses also explored whether findings varied by sex.

During the brain scans, time spent in various brain states was similar among those who used any alcohol in the year following their scans and those who did not. Among people who drank, however, researchers identified associations between the time spent in certain brain states and future drinking frequency.

More time in a state with high activation in the brain’s Default Mode Network—a network associated with mental health and behavior—was linked to fewer drinking days over the next year, suggesting that more time in that state may protect against future alcohol use. For other brain states, the relationships between time spent in the state and future drinking frequency differed by sex; this is the first study to find this difference.

Brain dynamics among teens who didn’t drink or drank lightly were linked to future drinking frequency but not to drinking intensity. It’s possible that brain dynamics, which may potentially flag vulnerability to AUD, are more informative about the regularity of behaviors than the sporadic intensity of behaviors.

Some variations in outcomes by sex should be interpreted cautiously until corroborated. In addition, although resting-state brain activity has been shown to indicate future behaviors, how teen brain dynamics might differ in a real-life environment is not known.

More information:
Mary Beth Miller et al, The Drinking Dashboard for alcohol‐induced blackout: A randomized pilot trial, Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research (2025). DOI: 10.1111/acer.70042

Provided by
Research Society on Alcoholism


Citation:
Brain network activity may offer clues to future drinking behaviors of adolescents (2025, May 30)
retrieved 30 May 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-brain-network-clues-future-behaviors.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.


Tags: Health ResearchHealth Research NewsHealth ScienceMedicine ResearchMedicine Research NewsMedicine Science
Previous Post

Trump targets Harvard visa applicants with new social media checks over anti-semitism concerns

Next Post

Representatives urge more funding to make our beaches safe for swimming

Related Posts

Autism and ADHD have distinct brain connectivity signatures, study finds

Autism and ADHD have distinct brain connectivity signatures, study finds

May 31, 2025
8

Journalists Draw Link Between Internet Dead Zones, Threatened Medicaid Cuts, and Health

May 31, 2025
8
Next Post
Going to the beach for spring break? Here’s what you should know

Representatives urge more funding to make our beaches safe for swimming

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Elon Musk’s court fights to outlast his time at White House

Elon Musk’s court fights to outlast his time at White House todayheadline

June 1, 2025
Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday todayheadline

June 1, 2025
ET logo

Texas softball ace Teagan Kavan pitches a complete-game win over Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series hours after beloved grandmother’s death todayheadline

June 1, 2025
New Orleans holds burial of repatriated African Americans whose skulls were used in racist research

New Orleans holds burial of repatriated African Americans whose skulls were used in racist research

June 1, 2025

Recent News

Elon Musk’s court fights to outlast his time at White House

Elon Musk’s court fights to outlast his time at White House todayheadline

June 1, 2025
2
Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday todayheadline

June 1, 2025
3
ET logo

Texas softball ace Teagan Kavan pitches a complete-game win over Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series hours after beloved grandmother’s death todayheadline

June 1, 2025
3
New Orleans holds burial of repatriated African Americans whose skulls were used in racist research

New Orleans holds burial of repatriated African Americans whose skulls were used in racist research

June 1, 2025
3

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Elon Musk’s court fights to outlast his time at White House

Elon Musk’s court fights to outlast his time at White House todayheadline

June 1, 2025
Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday todayheadline

June 1, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co