Text Size
Smaller
Bigger
Marijuana Abuse

Scientists Prove Marijuana Causes Lasting Brain Changes

posted 01:06 AM EST, Tue June 14, 2011
-- filed under: | | |

Chronic use of marijuana leads to lasting but reversible changes in the number of cannibanoid receptors in the brain.

Researchers at the National Institute or Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) say they’ve shown for the first time that heavy and chronic marijuana use causes lasting changes in the brain.

Marijuana exerts its effects by activating cannibanoid receptors in the brain. The researchers compared healthy non marijuana using control subjects with chronic marijuana smokers, and they found that chronic marijuana smokers had 20% fewer cannibanoid receptors in the brain than the control subjects.

Cannibanoid receptors in the brain play a role in the perception of time and movement, in memory formation, in regulating feelings of pleasure and concentration and in general sensory perception.

When the chronic marijuana smokers abstained from using marijuana for a month, cannibanoid receptor levels in the brain returned to a normal level, indicating that marijuana induced brain changes are reversible with abstinence.

Lead study author, Jussi Hirvonen, MD, PhD, commented in the significance of the study results, saying, 'With this study, we were able to show for the first time that people who abuse cannabis have abnormalities of the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. This information may prove critical for the development of novel treatments for cannabis abuse. Furthermore, this research shows that the decreased receptors in people who abuse cannabis return to normal when they stop smoking the drug."

The research findings were presented at SNM's 58th Annual Meeting, which is a conference on molecular imaging and therapy.

Subscribe Subscribe to this topic category
Story Highlights
  • Marijuana: Heavy marijuana use leads to a decrease in the number of cannibanoid receptors in the brain.
Creative Commons License
Copyright Notice
We welcome republishing of our content on condition that you credit Choose Help and the respective authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Helpful Information
70 Reasons to Quit a Heavy Marijuana Habit
70 Reasons Why Life is Better without a Heavy Marijuana Habit © Bingbing
Thinking about giving up marijuana but not sure you’re ready to take the plunge? Well, here are 70 benefits of quitting – all first-hand accounts from previously heavy users about how life changes for the better once you don’t need to get high all the time. Read Article
Addictions April 20, 2012 (574)
Marijuana Detox: Coping with Withdrawal Symptoms How to get past the first 2 weeks of marijuana withdrawal symptoms. Learn what to expect from marijuana withdrawal, with tips and suggestions for coping with individual withdrawal symptoms. Read Article
Detox November 20, 2015 (342)

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.

Find Treatment
Browse by region »
Scan to call us
using your phone camera app