Effects of self-reported drug use and antisocial behavior on evoked potentials in adolescents

From a sample of 35 adolescents, 17 were chosen who represented extremes of self-reported drug use and delinquent behavior. Three comparison groups were derived: Group 1, n = 7, high drug use/high delinquency; Group 2, n = 4 no drug use/ high delinquency; Group 3, n = 6, no drug use/no delinquency. The three groups were similar for age, IQ, race and neighborhood characteristics. Group 1 showed significantly more drug use than Groups 2 and 3; Groups 1 and 2 had comparable levels of delinquency which were significantly greater than Group 3. The subjects performed the auditory oddball task under conditions of low and high background noise. In the high background noise condition, Group 1 had longer latency P300 responses than Groups 2 and 3, while Group 2 had smaller N100 amplitude than Groups 1 and 3. Performance was similar for each group and no group differences occurred in the low background noise condition. The results support and extend previous research on the relationship between attentional and cognitive processes, and delinquent and drug using behaviors.