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Abstinent adolescent marijuana users show altered fMRI response during spatial working memory.

Alecia D Schweinsburg, Bonnie J Nagel, Brian C Schweinsburg, Ann Park, Rebecca J Theilmann, Susan F Tapert

Psychiatry Research May 30, 2008 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2007.04.018 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational case-control study Peer reviewed
Sample size 32
Population Adolescents ages 16-18: 15 heavy marijuana users and 17 demographically similar non-using controls
Duration 28 days of abstinence before fMRI acquisition
Measures fMRI response during a spatial working memory (SWM) task
Topics Cannabis
Key findings After 28 days of abstinence, heavy marijuana-using adolescents showed lower activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal and occipital cortices but greater activation in right posterior parietal cortex during a spatial working memory task, despite performing similarly to controls. The authors suggest this pattern may reflect different spatial rehearsal and attention strategies and could indicate altered neurodevelopment or persisting abnormalities from heavy adolescent marijuana use.

Abstract

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance among teenagers, yet little is known about the possible neural influence of heavy marijuana use during adolescence. We previously demonstrated an altered functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity related to spatial working memory (SWM) among adolescents who were heavy users of after an average of 8 days of abstinence, but the persisting neural effects remain unclear. To characterize the potentially persisting neurocognitive effects of heavy marijuana use in adolescence, we examined fMRI response during SWM among abstinent marijuana-using teens. Participants were 15 MJ teens and 17 demographically similar non-using controls, ages 16-18. Teens underwent biweekly urine toxicology screens to ensure abstinence for 28 days before fMRI acquisition. Groups performed similarly on the SWM task, but MJ teens demonstrated lower activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal and occipital cortices, yet significantly more activation in right posterior parietal cortex. MJ teens showed abnormalities in brain response during a SWM task compared with controls, even after 1 month of abstinence. The activation pattern among MJ teens may reflect different patterns of utilization of spatial rehearsal and attention strategies, and could indicate altered neurodevelopment or persisting abnormalities associated with heavy marijuana use in adolescence.

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

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