Teens pre-wired to become drug addicts?

This transcript is automatically generated

Some teenagers may be pre wired to become drug addicts that's according to the largest study ever done on the brain of this kind.

Of course knowing whether your kids are at risk before they even touched drugs could be have a lot of -- -- it.

The researchers say they looked at brain activity in nearly 2000.

Teenagers and found there are links between drug addiction and impulse control.

One recent survey asked thousands of teens about drug use and have said they've gotten drunk by the time they were high school seniors.

-- also reported using illegal drugs at some point.

40% said they smoked cigarettes.

Trace Gallagher with -- news in our West Coast news of this afternoon out how they test these teenagers in the first place.

All these -- fourteen year old ship in the used MRIs to scan their brains and while they -- watching their brain activity they had these teams do repetitive tasks like watching left and right arrows are punching buttons on a keyboard.

Then they gave -- signs or signals to stop now the longer it took them to stop.

This -- there impulse reaction the slower the impulse reaction the more likely they were to do drugs or alcohol listen.

These studies are very very solid.

And it's gonna continue to get gets better and better as we know more about.

The functionality of the brain the bio chemistry of the brain.

Everything is gonna come together we just need to make sure that we Begin to eliminate the social factors which doctors have really no control.

And the doctors also say the social and environmental factors also play a huge role they say never underestimate the power of good parenting or.

Things like peer pressure pressure -- you know kids with attention deficit disorder Trace also scored low on these same tests.

Yes and kids with eighty HD also had a very large percentage of them that go on to become alcohol and drug abusers it's interesting because they asked these fourteen year olds.

Which ones had actually tried drugs or alcohol before.

And the ones that said yes they compared their brain scans to the kids who had done poorly in that impulse -- were just talking about and those scans were very very similar so.

Researchers are saying.

These could be good predictors of risky behavior -- There's still a lot of research that needs to be done to find.

Good testing methodology that would identify.

Let's say an addictive personality and therefore if you find it early enough yes I would say that.

It did it that allows the parents to be very pro active in monitoring any typical behavior.

But keep in mind knowing what causes risky behavior is vastly different than knowing how to cure.

What causes risky behavior ship -- big gulf there Trace Gallagher in Los --

Watch Live

Teens pre-wired to become drug addicts?

Details

Clips

Editor's Picks

Massive fire breaks out at fuel-depot in Brazil

Holder's changing tune on involvement in journalist scrutiny

'The Five's advice for newly minted college grads

Cavuto: We're in a global war on terror

New information about the London terror suspects

Travis Alexander's friend: Family wants Arias on death row

The new face of US drone policy

Investigation into death of US engineer in Singapore a sham?

Former President Bush hosts wounded warrior bike ride

New developments in Maxim model murder trial

Growing concern over IRS' role in implementing ObamaCare

College students open up on campus hook-up culture

Transcript

Recommended