Boys, girls may be predisposed to substance addiction in differing ways, brain scans reveal

new delhi: a new study has found differing brain activity patterns in boys and girls with a family history of substance use disorder, indicating distinct predispositions to addiction long before substance use begins.published in nature mental health, the findings “may help explain why boys and girls often follow different paths toward substance use and addiction,” said senior author amy kuceyeski, professor of mathematics and neuroscience at weill cornell medical college, us.researchers analysed brain scans of nearly 1,900 children aged 9-11 from the us adolescent brain cognitive development study, measuring how the brain transitions between activity patterns during rest.girls with a family history of substance use disorder showed higher transition energy in the default-mode network — active during idle thinking or daydreaming — suggesting their brains may work harder to shift out of inward-focused thought.“that may reflect greater difficulty disengaging from negative internal states like stress or rumination,” said first author louisa schilling. “such inflexibility could set the stage for later risk, when substances are used to escape or self-soothe.”boys, however, showed lower transition energy in attention networks regulating focus and response to external cues.“their brains seem to require less effort to switch states, which may lead to unrestrained behaviour and greater attraction to stimulating experiences,” kuceyeski said. “girls may struggle to step on the brakes; boys may find it easier to step on the gas.”since these differences appeared before any substance use, researchers said they likely reflect inherited or early-life environmental vulnerabilities.“females with a family history showed higher transition energy in the default mode network, whereas males showed lower transition energy in dorsal and ventral attention networks,” the authors wrote.the study highlights how sex-specific influences shape brain dynamics and risk of substance use disorder.“recognising that boys and girls may travel different neural roads toward the same disorder can help tailor interventions. for girls, programmes may focus on coping with internal stress; for boys, on attention and impulse control,” kuceyeski said.