Alcohol Consumption in Adolescence: a Translational Perspective

Alcohol use becomes normative in adolescence and sometimes reaches high levels. Studies have shown that both adolescent rats and their human counterparts often drink two to three times more ethanol per occasion than adults, suggesting potential evolutionarily conserved, biological contributors. These elevated intakes may be promoted by neural changes that increase adolescent sensitivity to desired ethanol effects while attenuating sensitivity to undesired consequences likely serving as cues to moderate intake; while based primarily in rodent work, similar (albeit limited) findings are available in humans, suggesting some consilience—i.e., comparability in findings across species. A variety of neural, cognitive, behavioral, and affective alterations, along with an elevated propensity for elevations in later alcohol use, have been reported after repeated ethanol exposure in both species. In those cases where roughly comparable measures have been used across species, signs of consilience are often apparent. Such emerging consiliences may help to guide future research efforts in this understudied and rapidly evolving research area.