Research reveals the effects of cannabis on the brain
Cannabis appears to exacerbate the deterioration of neuronal connectivity in young adults at risk of psychosis
Cannabis appears to exacerbate the deterioration of neuronal connectivity in young adults at risk of psychosis, according to a new study.
The research, conducted at McGill University and published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, could pave the way for better treatments for mental illness that address symptoms that current medications cannot treat.
The study found that individuals at risk for psychosis had significantly reduced neuronal connections (synaptic density) in the brain compared to healthy controls. It turns out that these individuals' cannabis addiction only exacerbated this process.
Cannabis is a known risk factor for the development of psychosis that can progress to schizophrenia, but this is the first time researchers have found real-time brain-level changes in an at-risk population.
 "Cannabis appears to disrupt the brain's natural process of refining and pruning synapses, which is essential for healthy brain development,"  Romina Mizrahi, study co-author
"Not everyone who uses cannabis will develop psychosis, but some people are at increased risk".
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