• Cannabis use you have signaled significantly around the world.
  • Past Research Shows That Regular Cannabis Use Can increased to person’s Risk for Several Health Concerns, Including Risk Factors Formentia.
  • Scientists From The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Have Found That Heavy Cannabis Use May Negativley Impact A person’s working memory.

Recent Research Shows The Use of Cannabis Has Grown Significantly Around The World, From About 180.6 Million People In 2011 To 219 Million In 2021.

Much of this Growth has Been Spurred on By Recent Moves to legalize the use of cannabis in many country, including the United States, Canada, Thailand, Spain, South Africa, The Netherlands, and Uruguay.

Past Studies Show That Regular Cannabis Use Can Increase Person’s Risk for Certain Health Issues Such As Lung Damage, Mental Health Issues, Strokeand Heart Attack.

Additionionally, Previous Research Shows A Potential Link Between Cannabis Use and Known Risk Factors Formentia.

NOW Rebecchers from The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Report That Heavy Cannabis Use May Negativley Impact A person’s person’s WORKING MEMORYWhich Helps in Completing Cognitive Tasks Such As Learning and Understanding Language.

The Study Was Recently Published in the Journal Jama Network Open.

How might cannabis impact cognitive function?

For This Study, Refracchers Analyzed Data from More than 1,000 Young Adults AGED 22 To 36 Who Were categorized as One of the Following:

  • Heavy Cannabis Users – USED MORE THAN 1,000 Times Over Their Lifetime
  • moderate users 10 to 999 Times used during their life
  • Nonusers Who Used Cannabis Less Than 10 Times.

Scientists Analyzed The Neural Responsions in The Brains of Participants Captured Through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as they completed Seven Different Cognitive Tasks, Including Tasks Testing Motor Skills, Emotion, Reward, and Working Memory.

“I have had an interest in learning how substances Such as cannabis affection brain function since i was a teenager,” Joshua L. Gowin, pHD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and First Author of this Study, Told Medical News Today.

“I was Fortunate to have an Opportunity to do sum of that work with This Study. I was not only intersted in working memory, but i wanted to see how cannabis affected Range of Different Brain Functions, So We Looked at Seven Tasks, ”He Added.

63% of Lifetime Heavy Cannabis Users Had Working Memory Issues

Of The Seven Cognitive Tasks, Gowin Said Working Memory was The Only One That Showed an Effect of Cannabis.

Researchers Found that 63% of Lifetime Heavy Cannabis-Using Participants and 68% of Recent Cannabis Users Showed Reduced Brain Activity During their Working Memory Task.

“We Found That Brain Function Related to Working Memory Showed Effects of Cannabis, Where Heavy Cannabis Users Had Lower Brain Activation,” Gowin Explicained.

While The Adjustment for Potential Confounding Factors Indicated That The Link Between Cannabis Use and Memory Problems was not a Strong One, The Researchers Maintain That the Potential Connection Remains A Significant One To Take Indo Account.

“The Effects Were Small But Reliable, So It Won’t Turn Einstein Into Fred Flintstone, But It Could Add A Few Clouds Into An Otherwise Clear Sky,” Said Gowin.

Heavy Cannabis Use May Also Impact Attention, Decision-Making

Additionionally, scientists discovered that participants who were heavy cannabis users Also had reduced brain activity in certain areas of the brain, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, prefrontal dorsomedial cortex, and previous insulaWhich are not only important for memory, but also other processs Such as attention and decision-making.

“The Cannabinoid System is Widespretad in the Brain, So Modulating Cannabinoid Function With Products Like Thc Could Have a Wide Range of Possible Effects. We Wanted To Better Understand Which Brain Functions Show The Biggest Effects. But the other effects could all be important in their own way. I Hope ThatSe Results Will Add To Our Understanding of Possible Effects of Cannabis and Help People Make Reported Choices for Their Own Health. “

– Joshua L. Gowin, PHD

“We are Currently Exploring Whether Controlled Administration of Thc reduces brain activation relative to placebo, since the Current Study Did Not Control for When the participants used cannabis,” Gowin Added.

Results Match Clinical Practice Observations

MNT Spoke with Clifford Segil, Do, Neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, About This Study.

“This Study in Young Adults Shows What We see in Clinical Practice That People That Choose To Use Cbd Or Thc as Eithher Edible Or Smokeable Products Have Takes Memory Issues,” Seil, Who Was Not Involved in The Study, Commented.

“This shows that People That were Young Adults, That Had Heavy Use and Recent Use, Had Memory Problems. So the expectation is choking to use cannabis products is Going to cause you to have memory loss in the long and the short term, ”I explained.

“There’s two Things i’d like to see (as Next Steps for This Research,” Segil Continued. People’s Ability to Drive. “

“And Two, I Would Like to see them do This with a Subset of Patients That Are Using Medical Marijuana, To see if that Group of Patients That Are Getting Medical Marijuana Have The Same Kind of Memory Cognitive Issues. So you can do a risk-benefit ratio for People Choking to use cannabis for medical uses, ”I have added.

Need for More Cautious, Discussion Between Doctors and Patients Report

MNT Also Spoke with Jasdeep S. Sunk, Psyd, ABPP-CN, A Board-Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist and Director of the Center for Memory & Healthy Aging Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, About This Study.

“As a Neuropsychologist Who Schings with Patients at Risk for Cognitive Decline, My First Reaction to This Study Was concerns, But Not Surprise,” Sinkal, Who Was Also Not Involved in the Study, Said.

“We have long suspected that regular, Heavy Cannabis Use May Have Conscanque For Brain Function, particularly in Areas Related to Working Memory and Executive Functioning. The Findings Align with What We Offen Observe Clinically That Sub Patients Who Use Cannabis Regularly Report Subjective Memory Difficulties, Slower Processing Speed, and reduced cognitive flexibility, Even if they do not have a diagnosis neurodegenerative condition.

-JASDEEP S. Sunk, PSYD, ABPP-CN

“Findings Like these Should Prompt More Cautious and Report Discussions Between Doctors and Patients, Specially Those at High Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease Or Oher Memory-Related Conditions,” I have continued. “While cannabis is offen perceced as Harmless or Even beneficial for certainty medical conditions, This Study Underscores Potential Negative Cognitive Effects, particularly on Working Memory and Executive Function, Both of Which Are Crucial For Maintaining Independence and Quality of Life.”