A Review of Developmental Considerations in Human Laboratory Alcohol Research

AbstractPurpose of ReviewHuman laboratory studies involving alcohol administration have generated critical knowledge about individual differences in risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD), but have primarily involved adult populations and cross-sectional research designs. Ethical constraints have largely precluded human laboratory alcohol research in adolescence, and prospective studies have been rare. This paper provides an overview of developmental considerations in human laboratory alcohol research, with a focus on studies conducted with youth.Recent FindingsRecent human laboratory studies from Europe and Canada have examined aspects of alcohol response during late adolescence, while recent survey studies from the USA have highlighted methods for circumventing alcohol administration in studies of adolescents.SummaryAcross several decades of research, exceedingly few laboratory studies have examined developmental differences in alcohol responses or utilized prospective designs. Efforts to prioritize prospective research would further clarify the role of alcohol sensitivity traits as predictors of AUD onset and/or indices of AUD progression.
Source: Current Addiction Reports - Category: Addiction Source Type: research