Drugs on the Brain: Neurological Scans Predict Future Substance Use
Submitted by Ally
- 28 February 2017
A new study published in the journal Nature has found that brain scans can predict whether or not teenagers will develop drug taking behaviours later in life.
A sample of 14-year-olds was assessed. The investigation reports that, from an analysis of their brain scans, it is possible to determine the likelihood of drug use by age 16.
The authors suggest that this finding can be developed as a way of targeting those more vulnerable to substance abuse and used to stage interventions before addiction even occurs.