Direct and mediated associations between P300 amplitude in childhood and substance use disorders outcome in young adulthood

Background Attenuated amplitude of the P300 wave has been frequently documented in youths at high risk for substance use disorders (SUDs). This investigation had two aims: 1) determine whether P300 amplitude in late childhood is a predictor of SUD outcome by age 19; and 2) evaluate whether neurobehavior disinhibition (ND) mediates this association. Methods Boys (aged 10–12) were recruited through proband biological fathers with either a lifetime DSM-III-R diagnosis of SUD (N = 67) or no adult psychiatric disorder (N = 94). P300 amplitude was recorded during an auditory oddball task. Neurobehavior disinhibition was evaluated using tests of executive cognitive function, behavior undercontrol, and emotion dysregulation. The relationship is assessed using multiple and logistic regressions. Results Substance use disorder by age 19 was significantly predicted by P300 amplitude (odds ratio [OR] = .958; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .918–.999; Wald χ 2 = 3.992; df = 1; p = .045) and ND score (OR = 1.060; 95% CI = 1.023–1.098; Wald χ 2 = 10.267; df = 1; p = .0014) measured at age 10 to 12. P300 amplitude also significantly correlated with ND severity (β = -.217; t = -2.412; df = 6,160; p = .017). Low P300 amplitudes were observed in children who succumbed to SUD by age 19. Conclusions These results indicate that ND mediates the association between attenuated P300 amplitude in childhood and SUD at age 19; however, P300 amplitude is not a specific childhood marker of SUD.