Altered cerebral blood flow and neurocognitive correlates in adolescent cannabis users.
Joanna Jacobus, Diane Goldenberg, Christina E Wierenga, Neil J Tolentino, Thomas T. Liu, Susan F Tapert
Psychopharmacology August 2012 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2674-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 46 |
| Population | Adolescent heavy marijuana users and demographically matched healthy controls with limited substance exposure |
| Duration | 4 weeks of monitored abstinence |
| Measures | Arterial spin labeling (ASL), urine toxicology |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | At baseline, adolescent marijuana users showed reduced cerebral blood flow in four cortical regions and increased flow in the right precuneus compared with controls; after four weeks of monitored abstinence, no between-group differences were found. The authors suggest marijuana use may acutely influence cerebral blood flow in otherwise healthy adolescents. |
Abstract
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 CBF in adolescent marijuana users and matched healthy controls at baseline and after 4 weeks of monitored abstinence. Heavy adolescent marijuana users (n = 23, >200 lifetime marijuana use days) and demographically matched controls (n = 23) with limited substance exposure underwent an ASL brain scan at an initial session and after 4 weeks of sequential urine toxicology to confirm abstinence. Marijuana users showed reduced CBF in four cortical regions including the left superior and middle temporal gyri, left insula, left and right medial frontal gyrus, and left supramarginal gyrus at baseline; users showed increased CBF in the right precuneus at baseline, as compared to controls (corrected p values < 0.05). No between group differences were found at follow-up. Marijuana use may influence CBF in otherwise healthy adolescents acutely; however, group differences were not observed after several weeks of abstinence. Neurovascular alterations may contribute to or underlie changes in brain activation, neuropsychological performance, and mood observed in young cannabis users with less than a month of abstinence.
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 10
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- Long-term consequences of adolescent cannabinoid exposure in adult psychopathology Frontiers in Neuroscience November 10, 2014
- Chronic Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure in adolescent nonhuman primates: persistent abnormalities in economic demand and brain functional connectivity. Neuropsychopharmacology February 1, 2025
- 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
- Impact of Two-Weeks of Monitored Abstinence on Cognition in Adolescent and Young Adult Cannabis Users Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society April 20, 2020
and 5 more in the library
Cites 10
- Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Psychological Medicine July 23, 2009
- Evidence for involvement of the insula in the psychotropic effects of THC in humans: a double-blind, randomized pharmacological MRI study The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology April 14, 2011
- Longitudinal study of cognition among adolescent marijuana users over three weeks of abstinence. Addictive Behaviors November 2010
- Cannabis use and memory brain function in adolescent boys: a cross-sectional multicenter functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry April 14, 2010
- Neural substrates of faulty decision-making in abstinent marijuana users. Neuroimage June 2005
and 5 more in the library