JAMA Network Open just published a new study this week that gets us much closer to some definitive info on whether or not cannabis effects memory.
The researchers had a sample rate of over 1,000 adults within the ages of 22 and 36. They used brain imaging technology to determine brain activity during a memory task. They found that 63% of cannabis users who were considered “heavy lifetime users” had reduced brain activity. They also found that 68% of users who had used marijuana recently had the same effect.
Heavy users were those who had used cannabis more than 1000 times over their lifetime.
The regions of the brain that had less activity were those that controlled decision-making, memory, attention, and emotional processing.
This feels like bad news for marijuana-users, however, there’s some helpful info within all of the research. Even if you’re a heavy user and you have an important event coming up, taking a break the night before from consuming weed will help your performance.
“People need to be aware of their relationship with cannabis since abstaining cold turkey could disrupt their cognition as well. For example, heavy users may need to be more cautious,” says the author of the study, Joshua Gowin.
Read the study at JAMA.
