Mental health professional have long wondered about the negative biological effects of marijuana on the brain. An article in Journal Watch (9/08) titled, “Why do you think they are called potheads?” examines this issue. The article reports on a study recently published in the Archives of General Psychiatry: “Regional brain abnormalities associated with long-term heavy cannabis use.” The researchers studied the brains of 15 heavy cannabis users and compared them to 16 non-users, using high-resolution MRI. The results were sobering. “Left and right hippocampus [memory center] volumes were 12% smaller in cannabis users than in controls…left and right amygdala [emotional center] volumes were 6% and 8% smaller, respectively…Marijuana smokers had significantly more depressive [symptoms] …and poorer performance on a test of auditory learning.” The results of this study strongly indicate that heavy marijuana use is associated with significant neurotoxicity and visible changes in brain volume.
The Bottom Line: The results of this study strongly indicate that heavy marijuana use is associated with significant neurotoxicity and visible changes in brain volume.
Sources: See blogposts in Addictions: Marijuana
Dr. Jeffrey Speller
Dr. Tanya Korkosz
Psychopharmacology Associates
of New England
www.psychopharmassociates.com
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