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The Research
Fact 1
:
Brain Development
The teen brain shows a greater ability to change than the adult brain based on what teens do and experience. Using weed as a teen can put this brain development at risk.
Research has found that our brain has the ability to change
1
throughout our life. However, scientists have also found that our brains are most vulnerable to change during adolescence
2
and can’t change as easily in adulthood. A study also found that exposure to THC during adolescence can put brain development at risk because our brain is most vulnerable during these years.
Fact 2
:
Forming Memories
THC, the active chemical in weed, attaches to receptors in the hippocampus—the part of the brain responsible for processing information—and can affect the brain's ability to form memories.
Scientists have conducted studies
3
with rats to identify THC’s effects on the hippocampus
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, the part of the brain responsible for processing information. They compared
5
the brain structure and function of adolescent and adult rats that had been exposed to THC. Results showed that the adolescent rats were more vulnerable than the adult rats to long-lasting effects from THC exposure. They were also more likely to experience memory deficits that could impact the brain’s ability to form memories and learn new things. Researchers conduct studies with rats to help better understand the human brain because their structures and functions are actually similar to humans.
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Fact 3
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Connections in the Brain
The teen brain is fine-tuning connections between brain cells in the gray and white matter of the brain. Frequent weed use as a teen can disrupt the brain's ability to grow new connections, which can lead to slower learning in the long-term.
Studies show that the brain is always fine-tuning connections, through a process called synaptic pruning, to establish strong and useful connections. Further research
7
on synaptic pruning found that most of these connections are formed during adolescence and can be disrupted by cannabis use.
Fact 4
:
Weed Dependence
Individuals who use weed to cope with negative emotions are likely to develop dependence and addiction, as frequent weed use can make cannabinoid receptors less sensitive to THC. That means you’ll need more weed to feel the same effects.
Researchers have begun to understand the physical dependence
8
that weed use can cause. In a study with daily weed users who did not have an initial diagnosis of addiction when recruited for the research, scientists
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found that after conducting assessments for three years, approximately one-third of daily weed users had received a diagnosis of weed dependence. They also found that using weed as a coping mechanism was a predictor of potential weed dependence, which may be associated with decreased THC sensitivity due to frequent weed use.
Fact 5
:
Decision-Making
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for complex decision-making like planning, prioritizing, and controlling impulses. Since the teen brain is still developing, using weed as a teen can hinder the growth of the prefrontal cortex.
Many studies have shown that not all regions of the brain develop at the same time. In fact, the prefrontal cortex
10
, which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control, is one of the last regions of the brain to mature. In a study that compared the brains of weed users and nonusers, scientists
11
found that cannabis use during adolescence can increase the thinning of the prefrontal cortex and impact its development.
Fact 6
:
Brain Functions
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) helps regulate and create the balance of many body and brain functions. But when THC enters the body, it can overwhelm the ECS and prevent endocannabinoids from doing their job in regulating memory, coordination/alertness, coping with stress, and managing anxiety.
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Researchers have studied the endocannabinoid system
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for many years.
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They have finally begun to understand its role in regulating memory,
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coordination and alertness, coping with stress,
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and managing anxiety.
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Several studies have shown THC’s effects
19
on each of these executive functions.
Fact 7
:
Coordination
Weed can impact the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for motor functions, and may harm its development.
Our motor functions are regulated by the cerebellum in our brain. Many studies
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have shown that weed exposure can affect the cerebellum’s development. Scientists
4
compared the visual-attention task performance of weed users with that of participants who had not used weed. Although all participants were able to complete the task, weed users showed reduced activation in the cerebellum. The results also showed that the participants who began using weed earlier in life showed a greater reduction in cerebellum activation.
Fact 8
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Stress & Fear
Weed can affect the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, which may make anxiety, fear, and stress harder to manage
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in the long-term.
Researchers
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have worked to understand the amygdala and its significance to overall functioning. Through years of research, they now understand that the amygdala
21
is responsible for our emotional regulation, such as processing anxiety or stress. The amygdala contains a high concentration of cannabinoid receptors, which play a key role in emotional processes. Having fewer cannabinoid receptors in our amygdala can impact our ability to regulate emotions. Scientists
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compared the amygdala volume of weed users and nonusers and found that participants who used weed showed a bilateral reduction in amygdala volume.
Fact 9
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Reduced Motivation
Weed impacts the basal ganglia, the part of the brain central to motivation. It can reduce the production of dopamine, the chemical in the body that allows you to feel happiness, satisfaction, and motivation.
Research shows that the basal ganglia
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region of the brain is central to our motivation system. It’s densely filled with cannabinoid receptors, which help produce dopamine, a chemical that allows us to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Scientists compared the volume
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of the basal ganglia of weed users and nonusers. They found that weed users had a change in volume, while nonusers did not. These differences in the basal ganglia can impact our ability to respond to internal and external motivational signals.
Fact 10
:
Attention & Learning
Research shows that using cannabis may harm your memory, learning, and attention.
25
Studies have shown that adolescent marijuana users perform worse on tests of attention, learning, and memory. Poorer performance has been associated with more days of cannabis use in the past month.
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Teenagers who used marijuana demonstrated poorer verbal learning and memory.
10
SOURCES
1
Synaptic dynamism measured over minutes to months: Age-dependent decline in an autonomic ganglion.
2
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016). “Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know.”
3
Susceptibility of the adolescent brain to cannabinoids: long-term hippocampal effects and relevance to schizophrenia.
4
Structural and functional imaging studies in chronic cannabis users: a systematic review of adolescent and adult findings
5
Adolescent rats find repeated Delta(9)-THC less aversive than adult rats but display greater residual cognitive deficits and changes in hippocampal protein expression following exposure
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Rodent models in neuroscience research: is it a rat race?
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Adolescent Neurodevelopment
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Dependence on delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol: studies on precipitated and abrupt withdrawal
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Predicting the transition from frequent cannabis use to cannabis dependence: A three-year prospective study
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Effects of Cannabis on the Adolescent Brain
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Gyrification brain abnormalities associated with adolescence and early-adulthood cannabis use
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Effects of Marijuana on Mental Health: Anxiety Disorders
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Quality of Life and a Surveillant Endocannabinoid System
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Influence of marihuana on storage and retrieval processes in memory
15
The Endocannabinoid System as a Potential Mechanism through which Exercise Influences Episodic Memory Function
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Endocannabinoid-Epigenetic Cross-Talk: A Bridge toward Stress Coping
17
Prospects for the Use of Cannabinoids in Psychiatric Disorders
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Cannabis, the mind and society: the hash realities
19
Getting High on the Endocannabinoid System
20
Impact of Acute and Chronic Cannabis Use on Stress Response Regulation: Challenging the Belief That Cannabis Is an Effective Method for Coping
21
Multiple Mechanistically Distinct Modes of Endocannabinoid Mobilization at Central Amygdala Glutamatergic Synapses
22
Regional brain abnormalities associated with long-term heavy cannabis use
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Attenuated frontal and sensory inputs to the basal ganglia in cannabis users
24
Larger Gray Matter Volume in the Basal Ganglia of Heavy Cannabis Users Detected by Voxel-Based Morphometry and Subcortical Volumetric Analysis
25
Acute and Chronic Effects of Cannabinoids on Human Cognition-A Systematic Review
