Adolescent Exposure to Amphetamines and Vulnerability to Addiction

Adolescence is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood that coincides with heightened vulnerability to dependence to amphetamines and other drugs of abuse. The ontogeny of adolescent-typical behaviors, cognition, and neurobiological characteristics appear to be responsible for conferring heightened vulnerability to drug dependence. Accumulating evidence suggests that adolescent exposure to amphetamines results in unique cognitive and neurobiological consequences compared to adult exposure, particularly when the withdrawal period following the last drug exposure is held constant. The current literature is limited due to its use of diverse age ranges for modeling adolescence, imprecise reporting of subject ages, and the frequent lack of adult comparison groups. To encourage forward progress in this field, we issue a call to action to implement more appropriate methodological practices and to widen the scope of inquiry.