Study gives credence to 'pothead' image

[neversickanymore]

Study gives credence to 'pothead' image
Memory goes up in smoke for heavy weed users

Written by
Dennis Thompson
HealthDay​

"Shrunken structures inside the brains of heavy marijuana users might explain the stereotype of the “pothead,” brain researchers report.

Northwestern University scientists studying teens who were marijuana smokers or former smokers found that parts of the brain related to working memory appeared diminished in size — changes that coincided with the teens’ poor performance on memory tasks.

“We observed that the shapes of brain structures related to short-term memory seemed to collapse inward or shrink in people who had a history of daily marijuana use when compared to healthy participants,” said study author Matthew Smith. He is an assistant research professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

The shrinking of these structures appeared to be more advanced in people who had started using marijuana at a younger age. This suggests that youngsters might be more susceptible to drug-related memory loss, according to the study, published in the Dec. 16 issue of the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.

“The brain abnormalities we’re observing are directly related to poor short-term memory performance,” Smith said. “The more that brain looks abnormal, the poorer they’re doing on memory tests.”

No weed recently
The participants had not been using marijuana for a couple years, indicating that memory problems might persist even if the person quits smoking the drug, said Dr. Frances Levin, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry.

At the same time, Levin cautioned that the paper presents a chicken-or-egg problem. It’s not clear whether marijuana use caused the memory problems or people with memory problems tended to use marijuana.

“The big $64,000 question is (whether) these memory problems predate the marijuana use,” Levin said.

Tests of working memory further found that marijuana users scored lower compared with non-users.

Working memory is the ability to remember and process information in the moment and, if needed, transfer it to long-term memory.

Poor working memory can lead to poor academic performance and problems with everyday life.

Healthy people who never used marijuana scored 37 times better, on average, than healthy users who had smoked in the past on memory tests, while “clean” schizophrenics scored nearly four times better than schizophrenic marijuana users.

The study confirms earlier findings that showed memory loss in young marijuana users, said Dr. Scott Krakower, assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y."


http://www.thecalifornian.com/artic.../312180011/Study-gives-credence-pothead-image

 

[neversickanymore]

"Healthy people who never used marijuana scored 37 times better, on average, than healthy users who had smoked in the past on memory tests" 37 times or 3700% better... LOL.. I forgot what I was going to say.. not because of grass, but because I was laughing. I think Im going to have to check what this hog wash actually means. Don't you love how statistics can be slanted to mean whatever we are trying to state.. 8(

 

[_DankOpiAmp_]

Another bullshit study to try and cancel out the Harvard study. I love how they said they are unsure if the memory problems predate marihuana use.

 

['medicine cabinet']

Sweet! I love credence clearwater revival! Thats whats this article is about right? I dont see anything else that makes sense lol

 

[TheRapperGoneBad]

One good article supporting marijauana equals three that aren't lol

Yeah seems to me there's no real information here. Just assumpitions and theoretical speaking.

 

[Hammilton]

Science journalism rarely has anything substantive in it, don't hold that against this one. Until you've read the study you have no business criticizing it. That's like the heritage foundation criticizing the budget bill before they'd seen it.

 

[RTrain]

"Healthy people who never used marijuana scored 37 times better, on average, than healthy users who had smoked in the past on memory tests" 37 times or 3700% better... LOL.. I forgot what I was going to say.. not because of grass, but because I was laughing. I think Im going to have to check what this hog wash actually means. Don't you love how statistics can be slanted to mean whatever we are trying to state.. 8(

Such nonsense, I smoked weed steadily for over 10 years. I have a better memory than most people who never have touched the stuff. Short and long term. Studies show a person on average can remember 7 numbers in their short term memory. I have found I can remember 9 for the most part with relative ease, based on SS numbers I can read and then keep in my mind if I focus on it. I may have somewhat of a photographic memory though, I tend to break it down, I remember the first 5 numbers as a number and the last 4 as an image.

 

[Black Rabbit of Inle]

^ I agree.

My short term memory has always been shitty, way before the cannabis and yet these days, after near constant smoking for years, I can remember a slew of phone numbers and ID numbers that I wouldn't have had a chance of remembering before.

Memory tests should not be a standard for things like this because with both training and neglect you can alter the effectiveness of your recollection in either direction.