Small Study: Heavy Marijuana Use In Teens May Impair Long-Term Memory

The NBC News (3/13, Fox) reports that a study published online March 11 in the journal Hippocampus suggests that adolescents “who use marijuana heavily grow up to have poor memories and also have brain abnormalities.” The 97-participant study revealed that “daily marijuana users had an abnormally shaped hippocampus,” the “part of the brain used in storing long-term memories,” and “performed about 18 percent more poorly on long-term memory tasks.”

The Fox News (3/13, Carstensen) reports that the study, which “used MRI scans to analyze changes in the hippocampus,” also revealed that teens “who smoke regularly but then kick the habit in a couple of years may see their long-term memory take a hit.” The study “found that two years after abstaining, those who abused the substance scored worse on tests that assessed their long-term memory.” According to Fox News, “none of the study participants reported taking any drugs besides marijuana, and researchers adjusted for nicotine and verbal IQ differences.”

Related Links:

— “Hazy Heads: Heavy Teen Pot Use Linked to Weaker Memories,” Maggie Fox, NBC News, March 12, 2015.

Posted in In The News.