Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Research Scholarships - Master's program

Adolescence is a critical period during which many youth initiate alcohol use, placing some at elevated risk for future problematic drinking and associated mental-health burdens. Despite this, few studies have identified neurobiological markers that could predict alcohol use initiation before involvement begins. The Error-Related Negativity (ERN), a neural measure of performance monitoring, has been shown to be blunted in those with Alcohol Use Disorder; however, its role in predicting alcohol initiation during adolescence remains unexplored. Moreover, limited research has examined whether the ERN interacts with environmental stress to influence early alcohol-related consequences. Our longitudinal study examines whether a blunted ERN at Time 1 (T1) predicts alcohol initiation two years later (T2) in adolescents from a community sample (initial N = 300; projected T2 N = 100). At T1, participants completed a Flanker Task during EEG recording, along with structured interviews assessing alcohol use, consequences, and life-stress exposure; these procedures will be repeated at T2. We hypothesize that adolescents with a more blunted ERN at T1 will be more likely to initiate alcohol use by T2. A secondary aim is to examine whether stress moderates the association between T1 ERN amplitude and increases in T2 alcohol-related consequences among adolescents who had initiated drinking. By integrating neurobiological and psychosocial factors, this study will clarify early pathways to adolescent alcohol use before substance initiation and the role of high-stress contexts in increasing risk for later alcohol-related consequences. Ultimately, these findings have significant potential to inform targeted prevention and intervention efforts during a critical developmental period.