Cannabis Use in Adolescence Has Visible Effects on Brain Structure

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Cannabis use may lead to thinning of the cerebral cortex in adolescents, according to a recent study led by Graciela Pineyro and Tomas Paus, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and professors at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine. The work is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

A collaborative effort between two research laboratories with complementary approaches, the study demonstrates that THC—or tetrahydrocannabinol, an active substance in cannabis—causes shrinkage of the dendritic arborization, the neurons’ “network of antennae,” whose role is critical for communication between neurons. This results in the atrophy of certain regions of the cerebral cortex—bad news at an age when the brain is maturing.

“If we take the analogy of the brain as a computer, the neurons would be the central processor, receiving all information via the synapses through the dendritic network,” explains Paus, who is also a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Université de Montréal.

“So a decrease in the data input to the central processor by dendrites makes it harder for the brain to learn new things, interact with people, cope with new situations, etc. In other words, it makes the brain more vulnerable to everything that can happen in a young person’s life.”

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-cannabis-adolescence-visible-effects-brain.html