Inhalant Abuse in Adolescence Study, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre

Whilst severe neurobiological effects of chronic inhalant abuse have been documented in adults, insufficient research has been conducted in youth populations, despite abuse being prominent amongst this age group. The studies conducted to date suffer from a number of limitations: poor definition of regular inhalant use; small sample size; poor characterisation of participants in terms of demographics and mental health related issues; a lack of appropriately matched controls, and; failure to control for the effects of acute intoxication.
The aim of this study is to comprehensively examine the characteristics and extent of cognitive and neuroanatomical abnormalities (as measured by MRI) in a large number of inhalant abusing adolescents.
The study will recruit 20 inhalant-using adolescents (recruited through the Department of Human Services) and also a control group of 20 comparable non-inhaling individuals between the ages of 12 years and 18, as well as 20 other drug using participants – also matched to the inhalant users. Some of these individuals will have already completed the neuropsychological component of this study.