Neurophysiological mechanisms of addictive behavior and substance use in adolescence: prevention and therapy

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances as a part of behavioral addictions of adolescents is a medical issue in most of countries all over the world, including Russia. Adolescence is a period of dynamic physiological, psychological, and behavioral changes. This period is also associated with increased risk of substance abuse and formation of various addictive disorders. In adolescence, changes in neural systems of reward, motivation, cognitive control, and resistance to stress contribute to increased risk of using various psychoactive substances and of non-chemical variants of addictive pathology. Current pathophysiological models of addictive pathology in adolescence include data on allostatic changes in functions and structure of the mid-brain dopaminergic system, neuroplasticity related with stress, and imbalance between cognitive control and processes in the reward system. Results of genetic and epigenetic studies and investigation of intermediate phenotypes / endophenotypes can help to study children and adolescents at risk of addictive disorders.