A recent study of substance abuse in young people sought out to identify whether or not, and how abnormalities in brain structure may play a role in the development of substance abuse disorders. A study took 106 young people ages 18-42 that were considered at early risk for substance abuse. High resolution brain scans made to every participant found that when compared with 64 other young people not considered at high risk, smaller volumes of certain brain structures were consistent in those considered at high risk. The left frontal cortex and particularly the left superior frontal cortex, which are both involved in controlling behavior, were less dense. Deficiencies were also present in the subjects who had not already begun abusing substances but were considered high risk. This suggests that substance abuse disorders are inherent rather than just a product of early use.
