A new study, the largest of its kind, reveals that heavy cannabis use is associated with reduced brain activity during working memory tasks, suggesting that the negative consequences of heavy cannabis use may be more significant than previously thought. Researchers studied around 1,000 young adults, using MRI to monitor brain activity. They found that 63% of heavy cannabis users (defined as those who had used cannabis over 1,000 times in their lifetime) demonstrated reduced brain activity during working memory tasks, leading to poorer performance. While the study cannot definitively prove causation, it highlights the potential cognitive impacts of heavy cannabis use.
Learn more about the largest study to link lifetime cannabis use and brain activity.In a new study, researchers connect cannabis use to poor performance in working memory tasks. A feeling of relaxation. An altered sense of time and space. A slowed reaction time. These effects are all associated with cannabis, but what else do we understand about the drug’s effects on the brain?has revealed that heavy cannabis use is associated with reduced brain activity during working memory tasks.
. “By doing so, we can provide a well-rounded understanding of both the benefits and risks of cannabis use, empowering people to make informed decisions and fully comprehend the potential consequences.”According to the study, cannabis use is rising, as more and more states and countries allow its production and sale. But as the drug’s prevalence increases, so, too, does the perception that cannabis is innocuous, whether used recreationally or medically.
Defined as the mind’s short-term storage system, the working memory allows people to manage and manipulate information temporarily. Though the research cannot reveal whether cannabis caused the reduced brain activity and poor working memory performance, the researchers say their results call out the negative outcomes that are associated with heavy cannabis use.
Not only that; the researchers tested the associations between cannabis use and brain activity in recent cannabis users, too. These users were identified through drug testing, though the links between their cannabis use and brain activity during working memory and motor tasks did not survive a statistical analysis meant to minimize false positives.
CANNABIS BRAINACTIVITY WORKINGMEMORY COGNITIVEIMPAIRMENT HEALTH
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