Altered prefrontal and insular cortical thickness in adolescent marijuana users.
Melissa P Lopez-Larson, Piotr Bogorodzki, Jadwiga Rogowska, Erin McGlade, Jace B King, Janine Terry, Deborah A Yurgelun-Todd
Behavioural Brain Research June 20, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Adolescents with heavy marijuana use and non-using controls |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Adolescents with heavy marijuana use showed decreased cortical thickness in right caudal middle frontal, bilateral insula, and bilateral superior frontal regions, and increased thickness in bilateral lingual, right superior temporal, right inferior parietal, and left paracentral regions compared to non-users. The authors suggest that age of regular use may be associated with altered prefrontal cortical gray matter development, and reduced insular cortical thickness may be a biological marker for increased risk of substance dependence. |
Abstract
There are limited data regarding the impact of marijuana (MJ) on cortical development during adolescence. Adolescence is a period of substantial brain maturation and cortical thickness abnormalities may be indicative of disruptions of normal cortical development. This investigation applied cortical-surface based techniques to compare cortical thickness measures in MJ using adolescents compared to non-using controls. Eighteen adolescents with heavy MJ use and 18 non-using controls similar in age received MRI scans using a 3T Siemens scanner. Cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation was performed with FreeSurfer. Group differences in cortical thickness were assessed using statistical difference maps covarying for age and gender. Compared to non-users, MJ users had decreased cortical thickness in right caudal middle frontal, bilateral insula and bilateral superior frontal cortices. Marijuana users had increased cortical thickness in the bilateral lingual, right superior temporal, right inferior parietal and left paracentral regions. In the MJ users, negative correlations were found between frontal and lingual regions for urinary cannabinoid levels and between age of onset of use and the right superior frontal gyrus. This is one of the first studies to evaluate cortical thickness in a group of adolescents with heavy MJ use compared to non-users. Our findings are consistent with prior studies that documented abnormalities in prefrontal and insular regions. Our results suggest that age of regular use may be associated with altered prefrontal cortical gray matter development in adolescents. Furthermore, reduced insular cortical thickness may be a biological marker for increased risk of substance dependence.
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 21
- Long-term consequences of adolescent cannabinoid exposure in adult psychopathology Frontiers in Neuroscience November 10, 2014
- Verbal Memory Performance and Reduced Cortical Thickness of Brain Regions Along the Uncinate Fasciculus in Young Adult Cannabis Users Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research March 29, 2018
- Impaired Ghrelin Signaling Does Not Lead to Alterations of Anxiety-like Behaviors in Adult Mice Chronically Exposed to THC during Adolescence Biomedicines January 6, 2023
- Associations Between Cannabis, Psychosis, and Schizophrenia in Adolescents Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research 2022
- Age-Related Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids on Brain and Behavior. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research April 2026
and 16 more in the library
Cites 12
- Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Psychological Medicine July 23, 2009
- The influence of recency of use on fMRI response during spatial working memory in adolescent marijuana users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 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
- Altered affective response in marijuana smokers: an FMRI study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence November 1, 2009
- Neural basis of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol: effects during response inhibition. Biological Psychiatry December 1, 2008
and 7 more in the library