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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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2011

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Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cannabis

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Cerebellar White-Matter Changes In Cannabis Users With And Without Schizophrenia, N Solowij, M Yucel, C Respondek, S Whittle, E Lindsay, C Pantelis, D I. Lubman Jan 2011

Cerebellar White-Matter Changes In Cannabis Users With And Without Schizophrenia, N Solowij, M Yucel, C Respondek, S Whittle, E Lindsay, C Pantelis, D I. Lubman

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background. The cerebellum is rich in cannabinoid receptors and implicated in the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Long-term cannabis use is associated with functional and structural brain changes similar to those evident in schizophrenia, yet its impact on cerebellar structure has not been determined. We examined cerebellar grey and white matter in cannabis users with and without schizophrenia. Method. Seventeen patients with schizophrenia and 31 healthy controls were recruited ; 48% of the healthy group and 47% of the patients were long-term heavy cannabis users (mean 19.7 and 17.9 years near daily use respectively). Cerebellar measures were extracted from structural 3-T magnetic …


Verbal Learning And Memory In Adolescent Cannabis Users, Alcohol Users And Non-Users, Nadia Solowij, Katy A. Jones, Megan E. Rozman, Sasha M. Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C. L Heaven, Dan I. Lubman, Murat Yucel Jan 2011

Verbal Learning And Memory In Adolescent Cannabis Users, Alcohol Users And Non-Users, Nadia Solowij, Katy A. Jones, Megan E. Rozman, Sasha M. Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C. L Heaven, Dan I. Lubman, Murat Yucel

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rationale Long-term heavy cannabis use can result in memory impairment. Adolescent users may be especially vulnerable to the adverse neurocognitive effects of cannabis. Objectives and methods In a cross-sectional and prospective neuropsychological study of 181 adolescents aged 16–20 (mean 18.3 years), we compared performance indices from one of the most widely used measures of learning and memory—the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test—between cannabis users (n=52; mean 2.4 years of use, 14 days/month, median abstinence 20.3 h), alcohol users (n=67) and non-user controls (n=62) matched for age, education and premorbid intellectual ability (assessed prospectively), and alcohol consumption for cannabis and alcohol …


Cannabis And Cognition: Short- And Long-Term Effects, Nadia Solowij, Nicole Pesa Jan 2011

Cannabis And Cognition: Short- And Long-Term Effects, Nadia Solowij, Nicole Pesa

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Twenty years ago cannabis was generally perceived to be a benign drug with few significant adverse effects. As outlined elsewhere in this book, evidence has since mounted in the scientific literature for a range of harms associated with the use of cannabis, including the development of dependence and health-related harms (see also Hall and Solowij, 1998; Hall and Degenhardt, 2009). As the overall theme of this book indicates, an association between cannabis use and the development of psychotic symptoms or overt psychosis has grown to be recognized as a significant potential harm, and investigating the mechanisms by which cannabis may …