Teens with Alcoholic Parents Think Differently

According to the conclusions of a new scientific investigation, it would appear that teenagers who have alcoholic parents tend to display an uncommon neural response to risky situations, which is very different from how their brains react.

The reason why this particular research is so interesting is because it's the first study to be focused on teens with a family history of alcoholism (FHP) who never drank alcohol themselves. Other studies have consistently focused on adolescents who were engaged in the same behaviors as their parents.

But how do FHP teens who do not drink react to risky situations? This question represented the main focus of the new investigation, which was carried out by experts at the Oregon Health & Science University. The team was led by researcher Megan Herting.

In the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, “FHP adolescents showed weaker brain responses during risky decision-making compared to their FHN peers,” says study researcher Bonnie J. Nagel, as quoted by LiveScience.