D-33
Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Adolescent alcohol intake and its influence on decision-making: A systematic review of behavioral and neurobiological evidence.
Kiara Celeste Correa Benítez1,2,3, Daniela García1, Jimena Eliana Grasso1, Priscila Germino1, María Belén Reniero Paretto1,2,3, Sofía Alvite Buján1, Victoria Diana1, Giselle Aylén Insfran1, Brenda Magalí Gómez Muiño1,4, Sonia Jazmín Molina1,2,3
1. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Psicología. Cátedra I de Neurofisiología. Escuela de Ayudantes. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO). Buenos Aires, Argentina.
4. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Psicología Matemática y Experimental "Dr. Horacio J. A. Rimoldi". Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Presenting Author:
Kiara Celeste
Correa Benítez
kiaracorrearm@gmail.com
Adolescence is a period of vulnerability to risk behaviors, including alcohol use, given the ongoing reorganization of brain circuits involved in behavioral control and reward processing. This study aimed to review evidence on the association between adolescent alcohol intake and alterations in decision-making assessed through behavioral tasks, and to identify the associated neurobiological correlates. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed (May 2026) following PRISMA guidelines, including English-language studies from the last 10 years involving human and animal models that evaluated alcohol exposure during adolescence, decision-making, and neurobiological or neurophysiological measures. Of 144 results, 8 met the inclusion criteria. Some studies identified impairments in cognitive flexibility, risky choice, and reward processing, while others found no behavioral differences associated with alcohol intake. Alterations were observed in striatal, prefrontal, insular, and limbic circuits linked to reward processing, inhibitory control, and behavioral regulation. Additionally, some findings suggest that impulsivity may precede alcohol use. Overall, results indicate that alcohol intake during adolescence may be associated with modifications in neural systems involved in decision-making, even without evident behavioral alterations. Given the limited evidence, further studies, particularly longitudinal ones, are needed to clarify this relationship.
