Research suggests that teens may become addicted and relapse more easily than adults because their developing brains are more motivated by drug-related cues. Adolescent rats given cocaine were more likely than adults to prefer the place where they got it from; indicating higher sensitivity to drug-associated environments. After extinguishing the drug-linked preference, a small reinstating dose rekindled that preference, but only in the adolescent rats. These results reinforce previous evidence that teen brains get stuck on drug-related stimuli more easily than adult brains and are most likely to become addicted. Cortical remodeling, how it associates reward cues to consequences, and drug exposure during adolescence may produce drug-linked associations that are extremely difficult to change, reduce, or extinguish. Dr. Janetzke specializes in addiction. She suggests that adolescent addicts may require atypical strategies for drug abuse intervention such as longer treatment and substituting with different rewards such as exercise or music. Dr. Janetzke combines several evidence-based interventions and tailors them to individuals to increase the likelihood that clients will successfully stay sober.
