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Science & Technology
Marijuana Use Causes Brain Damage Confirmed
2012-11-24
Scientists have confirmed the long-held suspicion that frequent heavy marijuana use damage the brain's memory and learning capacity

Scientists have confirmed the long-held suspicion that frequent heavy marijuana use damages the brain's memory and learning capacity.

Australian researchers have showed for the first time that the earlier people start their marijuana habit, the worse the brain damage.

"Our results suggest that long-term cannabis use is hazardous to white matter in the developing brain. This was especially true for those who had started in adolescence, as we know the brain is still developing during this time," Lead researcher Dr. Marc Seal, from Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute said in a university release.

Scientists from MCRI, Melbourne University and Wollongong University compared MRI scans of the brain for 59 people who had been using marijuana for an average of 15 years to 33 healthy people who had never used the drug.

After measuring changes to the volume, strength and integrity of white matter in the brains of all participants, researchers found that long-term heavy cannabis users had disruptions in their white matter fibers.

The brain's white matter is responsible for information passed between different areas of grey matter within the nervous system, and unlike grey matter, which are the brain's thinking areas that peaks at age eight, white matter continues to develop as people age.

Seal and his team found that there was more than 80 percent reduction of white matter in the brains of users.

Additionally, researchers found that the average age of participants in the study started using cannabis when they were 16 years old, participants who started using the drug at a younger age like 10 or 11 had even more severe brain damage.

"This is the first study to demonstrate the age at which regular cannabis use begins is a key factor in determining the severity of the brain damage," Seal said, according to AAP.

He explained that marijuana interferes with naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors in the brain and by introducing external cannabinoids into a person's system it stops their white matter from maturing.

Researchers linked the significant changes in the white matter in the brain's hippocampus and commissural fibers, suggesting that long-term marijuana use may lead to memory impairment and deficits in learning and concentration ability.

"These people can have trouble learning new things and they are going to have trouble remembering things," Seal said.

"We don't know if the changes are irreversible but we do know that these changes are quite significant," he added.

Researchers said that the findings could not be explained by recreational drug and alcohol use. Researchers will monitor participants for the next two years to detect any further changes.

The latest findings add to results from previous smaller studies that showed that the brain's memory center, the hippocampus, shrunk in heavy marijuana users
Posted by:Au Auric

#10  Yuuuppp.

Unfortunately, here on Guam I've observed some of the new generation of Tweens + Teens snort Perfume-Scents, as well as burnt plastic, which I assume is derived from the latest fad(s) vee the US mainland.

The seriousness of their action as above sinks in once an "old guy" like me looks beyond my "Kidz today are just sooooooo weird" scope - UNLIKE THE NATURALLY-GROWN DRUG CROPS, YOUNG PEOPLE WHOM SNORT ARTIFICAL PERFUMES-SCENTS + BURNT PLASTIC, ETC. MAY NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO N-O-T GO "COLD TURKEY" + RECOVER BUT MAY ALSO BE PERMAMENTLY DAMAGING OR DESTROYING BOTH THEIR MENTAL ABILITIES AS WELL AS BODY FUNCTIONS + METABOLISM.

Most or all of the feared or known side-effects of meth, "ice", + "crack", etc. drug abuse may be nothing compared to the above.

Think STAR TREK:TNG'S CAPT. JEAN-LUC + RIKER TRAPPED IN THE ENTERPRISE'S HOLODECK WID
"DANTE'S INFERNO" OR OTHER HORROR, + NEVER ABLE TO LEAVE OR ESCAPE.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2012-11-24 21:46  

#9  @brightpebbles It's pronounced Iowa, yuh damn fool
Posted by: KBK   2012-11-24 19:25  

#8  Pot is responsible for a lot of good music and a number of solid comedies and I'm happy that some folks are so willing to put their brains at risk for our entertainment.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2012-11-24 16:31  

#7  Isn't the hippocampus George Washington University?

IMHO, there is a certain amount of DNA plinko, then the rest is personal choice, both in amount wanted and emotion of reaction. But age 10? Makes me a square within a square.

Just out of curiosity, any studies of the children of stage three vegans?
Posted by: swksvolFF   2012-11-24 10:03  

#6  Is that the state that's round on both ends and high in the middle?
Posted by: gorb   2012-11-24 08:58  

#5  >Name the 57 states.

Oiho?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2012-11-24 08:28  

#4  Our results suggest that long-term cannabis use is hazardous to white matter
and it makes dark, matter!
Posted by: Skidmark   2012-11-24 04:40  

#3  it stops their white matter from maturing.
Explains the shrinking Republican base.
Posted by: Shipman   2012-11-24 04:11  

#2  Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm...whut?
Posted by: tu3031   2012-11-24 03:51  

#1  "These people can have trouble learning new things and they are going to have trouble remembering things," Seal said.

Quick self-test: Name the 57 states.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-11-24 00:58  

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