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INNOSC Theranostics and
Pharmacological Sciences Youth brain health check and dysregulation

Furthermore, early genetic testing for addiction risk alleles neurophysiologic, neuropsychologic, stress response, social
will provide valuable information that could potentially be stress defeat, maternal deprivation, and gambling disorders,
utilized by parents and caregivers before any psychoactive whereby epigenetic DNA methylation and histone post-
drug use begins. Beyond genomic testing, a more translational negative methylation have been identified
straightforward approach could be the widespread adoption in many citations. 14,42-56 Methylation of DRD2 has been
of a standard BHC, such as school fitness programs. observed in many facets of addiction, including increased
striatal response to reward cues in alcoholics, decreased
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Family history, parenting styles, and relationship 43
attachments, modified by various reward genes, including functional connectivity of the executive control network,
44,46
the well-known bonding substances oxytocin/vasopressin, and withdrawal. Blum and Noble characterized the
may affect dopaminergic function. In addition, well- DRD2 Taq A1 allele as a generalized reward gene rather than
characterized neuroimaging studies indicate region- one specific to alcoholism. This underscores the need for
specific differential responses to drugs, food, and the field to find ways to either use effector moieties to edit
non-substance-addictive behaviors via either “surfeit” the neuroepigenetic insults or possibly harness the idea of
or “deficit.” 29,30 Therefore, a “reward deficiency solution potentially removing negative mRNA-reduced expression
by inducing “dopamine homeostasis.”
system” that combines early genetic risk assessment,
medical monitoring, including a BHC, and nutrigenomic It is important to consider oxytocin as a crucial element
dopamine agonist modalities to combat reward deficiency in inducing dopamine balance within the brain. Evidence
risk may help address the global crisis that is hindering suggests an important interaction between oxytocin/
youth from leading normal, productive, and happier lives. 31 vasopressin and dopamine function, as demonstrated by
Modestino et al. This important interaction should not
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Unlike fully developed adults, preteens transitioning into
adolescence may lack adequate decision-making capacity be ignored, especially in instances of antisocial behavior
in youth, including those with conditions such as autism
due to incomplete brain development and myelination. spectrum disorder. 58
The PFC area, known as the “braking/inhibitory system,”
supports executive function and decision-making but 5. Opting for immediate satisfaction
can be hijacked by subcortical structures in the midbrain. relative to delayed higher reward value in
Impairments in the midbrain region, which regulates
social and emotional responses, may lead to deficits in you
neurotransmitter function. According to Volkow and Baler, it is imperative and
41
We must be cognizant of the impact of stress on the critical for survival to learn how to balance behaviors that
brain’s developmental process and how substance abuse, provide a reward NOW versus behaviors that provide an
such as alcohol, cocaine, and opioids, alters the integrity advantage LATER. Specifically, Volkow’s group proposed
of white and gray matter volume. Furthermore, it is well a model in which dopamine can favor NOW processes
32
known that myelination in the PFC begins when people are through phasic signaling in reward circuits or LATER
in their early 20s. 33-40 Myelination regulates brain speed and processes through tonic signaling in control circuits. At
can be compromised by stress and drug exposure, especially the same time, through modulation of the orbitofrontal
during prenatal and other developmental phases. 37-39 cortex, which processes salience attribution, dopamine
During the turbulent years before adulthood, youth may enables shifting from NOW to LATER. In addition,
encounter stressful situations, resulting in frustration that modulation of the insula, which processes interoceptive
could trigger epigenetic changes that exacerbate genetic information, influences the probability of selecting actions
antecedent risk for drug abuse. 40,41 The D2 dopamine NOW versus LATER based on an individuals physiological
receptor (DRD2) is the most extensively investigated state. Disruptions along these circuits contribute to diverse
gene in diverse neuropsychiatric disorders. Numerous pathologies, including obesity, excessive reward-seeking
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international studies have been performed since the first behaviors, and various types of addiction.
association of the TaqI A DRD2 minor (A1) allele with It is noteworthy that adolescents with a family history of
severe alcoholism in 1990. As of October 10, 2022, there are substance use disorder (SUD) are at a greater risk for SUD.
5351 articles listed in PUBMED, with 120 meta-analyses Rodriguez-Moreno et al. suggested that this may be partly
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yielding mixed results. In our opinion, negative reports attributed to the inheritance of behavioral impulsivity. They
on the association of various DRD2 gene polymorphisms employed a delay discounting task to compare impulsivity in
are due to poorly screened controls, resulting in the non- decision-making and its associated brain functioning among
elimination of many hidden RDS behaviors. Moreover, adolescents with and without a family history of substance
pleiotropic effects of DRD2 variants have been observed in abuse. During the task, subjects had to choose between

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2024) 5 doi: 10.36922/itps.1472