Impulsivity, attention, memory, and decision-making among adolescent marijuana users.
Donald M Dougherty, Charles W Mathias, Michael A Dawes, R Michael Furr, Nora E Charles, Anthony Liguori, Erin E Shannon, Ashley Acheson
Psychopharmacology March 2013 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2908-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 93 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 14 to 17, including 45 marijuana users and 48 nonuser controls |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Among adolescents aged 14 to 17, impaired short-term recall memory and consequence-sensitivity impulsivity were the cognitive and behavioral measures most strongly associated with marijuana use after controlling for performance across all other measures. The authors propose these specific deficits as potential intervention targets for adolescent marijuana users. |
Abstract
Marijuana is a popular drug of abuse among adolescents, and they may be uniquely vulnerable to resulting cognitive and behavioral impairments. Previous studies have found impairments among adolescent marijuana users. However, the majority of this research has examined measures individually rather than multiple domains in a single cohesive analysis. This study used a logistic regression model that combines performance on a range of tasks to identify which measures were most altered among adolescent marijuana users. The purpose of this research was to determine unique associations between adolescent marijuana use and performances on multiple cognitive and behavioral domains (attention, memory, decision-making, and impulsivity) in 14- to 17-year-olds while simultaneously controlling for performances across the measures to determine which measures most strongly distinguish marijuana users from nonusers. Marijuana-using adolescents (n = 45) and controls (n = 48) were tested. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test for: (1) differences between marijuana users and nonusers on each measure, (2) associations between marijuana use and each measure after controlling for the other measures, and (3) the degree to which (1) and (2) together elucidated differences among marijuana users and nonusers. Of all the cognitive and behavioral domains tested, impaired short-term recall memory and consequence sensitivity impulsivity were associated with marijuana use after controlling for performances across all measures. This study extends previous findings by identifying cognitive and behavioral impairments most strongly associated with adolescent marijuana users. These specific deficits are potential targets of intervention for this at-risk population.
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 23
- Long-term consequences of adolescent cannabinoid exposure in adult psychopathology Frontiers in Neuroscience November 10, 2014
- The Relationship Between Cannabis, Cognition, and Schizophrenia: It’s Complicated Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2022
- The CannTeen Study: Verbal Episodic Memory, Spatial Working Memory, and Response Inhibition in Adolescent and Adult Cannabis Users and Age-Matched Controls PRE-PRINT February 18, 2022
- Three-day delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure eliminates long-term depression in ventral tegmental area of young, but not adult mice. Journal of Cannabis Research May 31, 2025
- Network topology and cannabis use following two weeks of monitored abstinence: moderation of sex and patterns of use findings. Frontiers in adolescent medicine 2025
and 18 more in the library
Cites 15
- Altered cerebral blood flow and neurocognitive correlates in adolescent cannabis users. Psychopharmacology August 2012
- Longitudinal study of cognition among adolescent marijuana users over three weeks of abstinence. Addictive Behaviors November 2010
- Adolescent brain maturation, the endogenous cannabinoid system and the neurobiology of cannabis-induced schizophrenia. Progress in Neurobiology November 2010
- The influence of recency of use on fMRI response during spatial working memory in adolescent marijuana users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 2010
- Adolescent cannabis use and psychosis: epidemiology and neurodevelopmental models British Journal of Pharmacology June 1, 2010
and 10 more in the library