The brain in social context: A systematic review of substance use and social processing from adolescence to young adulthood.

Substance use escalates between adolescence and young adulthood, and most experimentation occurs among peers. To understand underlying mechanisms, research has focused on neural response during relevant psychological processes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research provides a wealth of information about brain activity when processing monetary rewards; however, most studies have used tasks devoid of social stimuli.

Neural responses to implicit forms of peer influence in young adults.

Young adults are acutely sensitive to peer influences. Differences have been found in neural sensitivity to peer influences, such as seeing peer ratings on social media. The present study aimed to identify patterns of neural sensitivity to peer influences, which involve more subtle cues that shape preferences and behaviors.

The moderating role of positive peers in reducing substance use in college students.

Young adulthood (18-25) is the peak age for substance use, but friends who engage in positive behaviors may be protective. The present study examined the direct relation between positive peer affiliation and substance use, and whether positive peer affiliation moderated the relation between self-reported sensation-seeking, future orientation, self-regulation and substance use. Participants were 382 college students ( = 19.

Reward-Related Brain Activity Prospectively Predicts Increases in Alcohol Use in Adolescents.

Objective: Altered activity within reward-related neural regions, including the ventral striatum (VS) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is associated with concurrent problematic substance use. The aims of the present study were (a) to identify patterns of reward-related neural activity that prospectively predicted changes in alcohol use 2 years after magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of adolescents, and (b) to examine whether these patterns differed by sex. We also tested whether depression symptoms or impulsivity mediated associations between neural activity and future alcohol use.

Rome was not built in one day: Underlying biological and cognitive factors responsible for the emergence of agriculture and ultrasociality.

Agriculture represented a major transition in human evolution, but the appearance of ultrasociality must have included previous steps. We argue that ultrasociality would not have suddenly emerged with agriculture, but rather developed from pre-existing cognitive and social mechanisms. Discussions must include necessary depth about the historical origins of human ultrasociality, and agriculture's aftereffects on large-scale social organization.