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...
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...
Journal of Addiction Medicine
March 2011
Rebecca D Crean, Susan F Tapert, Arpi Minassian et al.
This case describes the clinical course of a cannabis-dependent individual entering a 12-week abstinence-based research program. The case illustrates the effects of chronic, heavy cannabis use on executive functions at three time points: 1) 24 hours of abstinence; 2) 4 weeks of abstinence; and 3) 12 weeks of abstinence. It is followed by discussions by two clinical psychologists and a...
Addictive Behaviors
November 2010
Karen L. Hanson, Jennifer L Winward, Alecia D Schweinsburg et al.
Cognitive deficits that persist up to a month have been detected among adult marijuana users, but decrements and their pattern of recovery are less known in adolescent users. Previously, we reported cognitive deficits among adolescent marijuana users after one month of abstinence (Medina, Hanson, Schweinsburg, Cohen-Zion, Nagel, & Tapert, 2007). In this longitudinal study, we characterized...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 2010
Alecia Dager Schweinsburg, Brian C Schweinsburg, Krista Lisdahl Medina et al.
Some neurocognitive recovery occurs within a month of abstinence from heavy marijuana use, yet functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed altered activation among recent and abstinent adult users. We compared fMRI response during a spatial working memory (SWM) task between adolescent marijuana users with brief and sustained durations of abstinence. Participants were 13 recent...
Psychiatry Research
May 30, 2008
Alecia D Schweinsburg, Bonnie J Nagel, Brian C Schweinsburg et al.
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance among teenagers, yet little is known about the possible neural influence of heavy marijuana use during adolescence. We previously demonstrated an altered functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity related to spatial working memory (SWM) among adolescents who were heavy users of after an average of 8 days of abstinence, but the...
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
December 2007
Claudia B Padula, Alecia D Schweinsburg, Susan F Tapert
Previous studies have suggested neural disruption and reorganization in adult marijuana users. However, it remains unclear whether these effects persist in adolescents after 28 days of abstinence and, if they do, what Performance x Brain Response interactions occur. Adolescent marijuana users (n=17) and controls (n=17) aged 16-18 years were recruited from local schools. Functional magnetic...