Spatial working memory performance and fMRI activation interaction in abstinent adolescent marijuana users.
Claudia B Padula, Alecia D Schweinsburg, Susan F Tapert
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors December 2007 DOI: 10.1037/0893-164x.21.4.478 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 16-18 years, including marijuana users and controls |
| Duration | 28 days of monitored abstinence |
| Measures | spatial working memory task, functional magnetic resonance imaging |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Adolescent marijuana users show Performance x Brain Response interactions in bilateral temporal lobes, left anterior cingulate, left parahippocampal gyrus, and right thalamus after 28 days of abstinence, despite no group differences in behavioral task performance. The authors suggest this indicates altered neural pathways for task performance. |
Abstract
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 resonance imaging data were collected after 28 days' monitored abstinence as participants performed a spatial working memory task. Marijuana users show Performance x Brain Response interactions in the bilateral temporal lobes, left anterior cingulate, left parahippocampal gyrus, and right thalamus (clusters >/=1358 microl; p<.05), although groups do not differ on behavioral measures of task performance. Marijuana users show differences in brain response to a spatial working memory task despite adequate performance, suggesting a different approach to the task via altered neural pathways.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population | 2009 | Case-control study | n = 454 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people | 2000 | Observational | |
| Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 1,923 |
| Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 535 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Neurocognitive impairments in MDMA and other drug users: MDMA alone may not be a cognitive risk factor Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology September 30, 2009
- Same dose, different impact: acute cannabis intoxication impairs visuospatial working memory in both sexes, with disproportionate male vulnerability Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience April 16, 2026
- Chronic cannabis use differentially modulates neural oscillations serving the manipulate versus maintain components of working memory processing. Neurobiology of Disease February 1, 2025
- A Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies of Youth Cannabis Use: Alterations in Executive Control, Social Cognition/Emotion Processing, and Reward Processing in Cannabis Using Youth Brain Science September 23, 2022
- Systematic review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of cannabis use in adolescence and emerging adulthood: evidence from 90 studies and 9441 participants. Neuropsychopharmacology April 2022
and 12 more in the library