Heavy alcohol use, marijuana use, and concomitant use by adolescents are associated with unique and shared cognitive decrements.

To assess recovery of cognitive effects, we investigated neuropsychological performance after 1 month of monitored abstinence in teens with histories of heavy episodic drinking, protracted marijuana use, or concomitant use of alcohol and marijuana. Adolescents (ages 16-18 years) with histories of heavy episodic drinking (HED; n=24), marijuana use (MJ; n=20), both heavy alcohol and marijuana use (HED+MJ; n=29), and socio-demographically similar control teens (CON; n=55) completed a neuropsychological battery following 4 weeks of monitored abstinence. Groups were similar on 5th grade standardized test scores, suggesting comparable academic functioning before onset of substance use.

Changes in emotional reactivity and distress tolerance among heavy drinking adolescents during sustained abstinence.

Background: Negative affect and low distress tolerance have been associated with increased likelihood of alcohol consumption and relapse. This study utilized the Paced Auditory Serial Attention Test - Computerized Version (PASAT-C) to examine affective reactivity, cognitive performance, and distress tolerance during early abstinence among heavy drinking adolescents.

Methods: Participants, ages 16 to 18 (50% female), were 23 heavy episodic drinking youth (HED) and 23 demographically matched, nondrinking teens (CON).

Adolescent heavy episodic drinking: neurocognitive functioning during early abstinence.

The present study investigated the rate and pattern of neuropsychological recovery in heavy episodic drinking teens during the initial days to weeks of abstinence from alcohol. Adolescents (ages, 16-18 years) with histories of heavy episodic drinking (HED; N = 39) and socio-demographically similar control teens (CON; N = 26) were recruited from San Diego area schools. HED and CON were comparable on 5th grade standardized math and language arts test performance to ensure similar functioning before onset of substance use.

The impact of adolescent binge drinking and sustained abstinence on affective state.

Background: While it is clear that affect is negatively impacted by heavy drinking in adulthood and that it improves with abstinence, little is known about effects of heavy drinking on mood during adolescence.

Methods: This study examined negative mood states among 2 groups of 16- to 18-year-old high school students; youth with a history of recent heavy episodic drinking (HED; n = 39) and comparison youth with limited lifetime drinking experience (CON; n = 26). Affect was assessed at 3 time points during a 4- to 6-week period of monitored abstinence using the Hamilton Rating Scales for Anxiety and Depression; self-reports were obtained with the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and experience sampling of current affect was assessed via daily text messages sent at randomly determined times in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

Longitudinal study of cognition among adolescent marijuana users over three weeks of abstinence.

Background: Cognitive deficits that persist up to a month have been detected among adult marijuana users, but decrements and their pattern of recovery are less known in adolescent users. Previously, we reported cognitive deficits among adolescent marijuana users after one month of abstinence (Medina, Hanson, Schweinsburg, Cohen-Zion, Nagel, & Tapert, 2007). In this longitudinal study, we characterized neurocognitive changes among marijuana-using adolescents across the first three weeks of abstinence.

Sleep architecture in adolescent marijuana and alcohol users during acute and extended abstinence.

This study examined sleep changes following cessation of marijuana and alcohol use during late adolescence. Twenty-nine heavy marijuana and alcohol users and 20 matched controls were studied during a 28-day monitored abstinence period. Sleep was examined as a function of prior substance use during Nights 1-2 and Nights 27-28.