How do drugs affect brain functioning during childhood and adolescence?
It is important to understand that studies on brain functioning are still relatively new, especially in younger human populations. Innovative research, however, is helping to shed light on the various ways in which drugs can change the course of brain development and behavior. We know that drug abuse affects the brain circuitry involved in reward, motivation, memory, and judgment. Are these effects intensified when a still-developing brain is exposed to drugs? Likely so, given the range of mental and substance abuse problems already linked to early drug abuse. But recent studies are delving into how exposure to drugs at different points along a developmental trajectory changes the brain and leaves individuals more vulnerable to health problems later in life. This research is enhanced by the availability of new technologies, including neuroimaging tools that allow us to study the human brain like never before, literally to see into the brains of people and discover how drugs are affecti
