RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Grey Matter Volume Differences Associated with Extremely Low Levels of Cannabis Use in Adolescence
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 1817
OP 1827
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3375-17.2018
VO 39
IS 10
A1 Orr, Catherine
A1 Spechler, Philip
A1 Cao, Zhipeng
A1 Albaugh, Matthew
A1 Chaarani, Bader
A1 Mackey, Scott
A1 D'Souza, Deepak
A1 Allgaier, Nicholas
A1 Banaschewski, Tobias
A1 Bokde, Arun L.W.
A1 Bromberg, Uli
A1 Büchel, Christian
A1 Burke Quinlan, Erin
A1 Conrod, Patricia
A1 Desrivières, Sylvane
A1 Flor, Herta
A1 Frouin, Vincent
A1 Gowland, Penny
A1 Heinz, Andreas
A1 Ittermann, Bernd
A1 Martinot, Jean-Luc
A1 Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillère
A1 Nees, Frauke
A1 Papadopoulos Orfanos, Dimitri
A1 Paus, Tomáš
A1 Poustka, Luise
A1 Millenet, Sabina
A1 Fröhner, Juliane H.
A1 Radhakrishnan, Rajiv
A1 Smolka, Michael N.
A1 Walter, Henrik
A1 Whelan, Robert
A1 Schumann, Gunter
A1 Potter, Alexandra
A1 Garavan, Hugh
YR 2019
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/39/10/1817.abstract
AB Rates of cannabis use among adolescents are high, and are increasing concurrent with changes in the legal status of marijuana and societal attitudes regarding its use. Recreational cannabis use is understudied, especially in the adolescent period when neural maturation may make users particularly vulnerable to the effects of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on brain structure. In the current study, we used voxel-based morphometry to compare gray matter volume (GMV) in forty-six 14-year-old human adolescents (males and females) with just one or two instances of cannabis use and carefully matched THC-naive controls. We identified extensive regions in the bilateral medial temporal lobes as well as the bilateral posterior cingulate, lingual gyri, and cerebellum that showed greater GMV in the cannabis users. Analysis of longitudinal data confirmed that GMV differences were unlikely to precede cannabis use. GMV in the temporal regions was associated with contemporaneous performance on the Perceptual Reasoning Index and with future generalized anxiety symptoms in the cannabis users. The distribution of GMV effects mapped onto biomarkers of the endogenous cannabinoid system providing insight into possible mechanisms for these effects.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Almost 35% of American 10th graders have reported using cannabis and existing research suggests that initiation of cannabis use in adolescence is associated with long-term neurocognitive effects. We understand very little about the earliest effects of cannabis use, however, because most research is conducted in adults with a heavy pattern of lifetime use. This study presents evidence suggesting structural brain and cognitive effects of just one or two instances of cannabis use in adolescence. Converging evidence suggests a role for the endocannabinoid system in these effects. This research is particularly timely as the legal status of cannabis is changing in many jurisdictions and the perceived risk by youth associated with smoking cannabis has declined in recent years.