The influence of recency of use on fMRI response during spatial working memory in adolescent marijuana users.
Alecia Dager Schweinsburg, Brian C Schweinsburg, Krista Lisdahl Medina, Tim McQueeny, Sandra A Brown, Susan F Tapert
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 2010 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2010.10400703 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional fMRI study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 44 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 15 to 18: 13 recent marijuana users (2-7 days abstinent), 13 abstinent users (27-60 days abstinent), and 18 nonusing controls, all without psychiatric or medical disorders |
| Duration | Abstinence durations of 2-7 days (recent users) and 27-60 days (abstinent users); task performed during fMRI |
| Measures | fMRI activation during a two-back spatial working memory (SWM) task |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Recent adolescent marijuana users showed greater fMRI response in medial and left superior prefrontal cortices and bilateral insula during a spatial working memory task, while those abstinent 27 to 60 days showed increased response in the right precentral gyrus. The authors suggest recent use may disrupt neural connections associated with spatial working memory and produce compensatory brain response, and that sustained abstinence may be associated with improvements in working memory response. |
Abstract
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 users (two to seven days abstinent), 13 abstinent users (27 to 60 days abstinent), and 18 nonusing controls, all ages 15 to 18. Groups were similar on demographics, had no psychiatric or medical disorders, and user groups were similar on substance histories. Teens performed a two-back SWM task during fMRI. Recent users showed greater fMRI response in medial and left superior prefrontal cortices, as well as bilateral insula. Abstinent users had increased response in the right precentral gyrus (clusters > or = 1328 microl, p < .05). Results suggest that adolescents who recently used marijuana show increased brain activity in regions associated with working memory updating and inhibition. This study preliminarily suggests that (1) recent marijuana use may disrupt neural connections associated with SWM and result in compensatory brain response, and (2) sustained abstinence from marijuana may be associated with improvements in SWM response among adolescents.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked Cannabis' Psychomotor and Neurocognitive Effects in Occasional and Frequent Smokers Occasional (<2x/week) and frequent (≥4x/week) cannabis smokers | 2015 | Controlled within-subjects study | n = 25 |
| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users | 2018 | Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) | n = 410 |
| Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers | 2018 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... | 2019 | Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation | n = 40 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 22
- 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
- Cannabis Use and Endocannabinoid Receptor Genes: A Pilot Study on Their Interaction on Brain Activity in First-Episode Psychosis International Journal of Molecular Sciences April 19, 2023
- 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
and 17 more in the library
Cites 6
- Abstinent adolescent marijuana users show altered fMRI response during spatial working memory. Psychiatry Research May 30, 2008
- Altered regional blood volume in chronic cannabis smokers. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology November 2006
- Marijuana use is associated with a reorganized visual-attention network and cerebellar hypoactivation. Brain May 2006
- Persistent and anatomically selective reduction in prefrontal cortical dopamine metabolism after repeated, intermittent cannabinoid administration to rats. Synapse July 2003
- Repeated exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol reduces prefrontal cortical dopamine metabolism in the rat April 10, 1998
and 1 more in the library