Frontiers in adolescent medicine
March 26, 2026
S. Nichols, Kun Yang, D. Staley et al.
Introduction: Increased cannabis use in young adults may influence brain health and neurodevelopment. In the context of chronic HIV-associated neuroinflammation, however, mild cannabis use may attenuate negative outcomes through anti-inflammatory effects. More frequent cannabis use may remain deleterious to both young adults with HIV (YWH) and without HIV (YWoH). We explored cross-sectional...
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
March 6, 2026
Natasha E Wade, Ryan M Sullivan, Alexander L. Wallace et al.
preprint
Adolescents experience extensive neurocognitive development, with cannabis use potentially impacting developmental trajectories. Here, we comprehensively assess the influence of adolescent cannabis use onset on neurocognitive trajectories and consider how recent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) may influence neurocognition. We use the large, diverse longitudinal...
Frontiers in adolescent medicine
2025
Alexander L. Wallace, Rachel E. Baca, Gianna Andrade et al.
The endocannabinoid (eCB) system is a regulatory mechanism that helps to maintain homeostasis in the brain. Cannabis use and circulating eCB disruptions have been linked with altered memory; however, this work has largely been done in animal models with minimal investigation into these relationships by sex. We aim to investigate how circulating eCB concentrations in cannabis using young adults...
Biological Psychiatry
September 29, 2020
M. H. Mejia, N. Wade, Rachel E. Baca et al.
Accumulating evidence suggests that the use of cannabis and nicotine and tobacco-related products (NTPs) during the adolescent years has harmful effects on the developing brain. Yet, few studies have focused on the developing brain as it relates to the co-administration of cannabis and NTPs, despite the high prevalence rates of co-use in adolescence. The review aimed to synthesize the existing...
International review of neurobiology
2016
Ty Brumback, Norma Castro, Joanna Jacobus et al.
Marijuana, behind only tobacco and alcohol, is the most popular recreational drug in America with prevalence rates of use rising over the past decade. A wide range of research has highlighted neurocognitive deficits associated with marijuana use, particularly when initiated during childhood or adolescence. Neuroimaging, describing alterations to brain structure and function, has begun to...
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
December 2015
Joanna Jacobus, Lindsay M Squeglia, Alejandro D Meruelo et al.
Studies suggest marijuana impacts gray and white matter neural tissue development, however few prospective studies have determined the relationship between cortical thickness and cannabis use spanning adolescence to young adulthood. This study aimed to understand how heavy marijuana use influences cortical thickness trajectories across adolescence. Subjects were adolescents with heavy marijuana...
Current Pharmaceutical Design
2014
Joanna Jacobus, Susan F Tapert
This article reviews neuroimaging, neurocognitive, and preclinical findings on the effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain. Marijuana is the second most widely used intoxicant in adolescence, and teens who engage in heavy marijuana use often show disadvantages in neurocognitive performance, macrostructural and microstructural brain development, and alterations in brain functioning. It...
Psychopharmacology
August 2012
Joanna Jacobus, Diane Goldenberg, Christina E Wierenga et al.
The effects of adolescent marijuana use on the developing brain remain unclear, despite its prevalence. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a noninvasive imaging technique that characterizes neurovascular status and cerebral blood flow (CBF), potentially revealing contributors to neuropathological alterations. No studies to date have looked at CBF in adolescent marijuana users. This study examined...