Association between hyperactivity and executive cognitive functioning in childhood and substance use in early adolescence

Objective: To determine whether deficient executive cognitive functioning ( ECF) in association with high behavioral activity level comprise components of the liability to substance abuse. Method: A high-risk (HR) group having fathers with a lifetime DSM-III-R diagnosis of a psychoactive substance us e disorder was compared with a low-average-risk (LAR) group whose fathers h ad neither psychoactive substance use disorder nor another adult Axis I psy chiatric disorder. ECF and behavioral activity were measured using neuropsy chological tests, activity monitor, diagnostic interview, and informant rat ings when the subjects were 10 to 12 years of age. alcohol, tobacco, and ca nnabis use were measured at 2-year follow-up. Results: At baseline. the HR group had a significantly higher behavioral activity level and exhibited po orer performance on ECF tests than the LAR group. By early adolescence, HR subjects had a higher lifetime rate of tobacco and cannabis use and earlier age at onset of cannabis use. ECF capacity, but not behavioral activity le vel, predicted tobacco and cannabis use, total number of drugs ever tried, and severity of drug involvement. ECF accounted for additional variance bey ond the effects of conduct problems on these outcomes. Conclusion: Whereas behavioral activity and ECF capacity in late childhood distinguishes HR fro m LAR youth, childhood ECF capacity is the more salient predictor of drug u se in early adolescence.