Regional brain abnormalities associated with long-term heavy cannabis use

Abstract

Context: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the developed world. Despite this, there is a paucity of research examining its long-term effect on the human brain. Objective: To determine whether long-term heavy cannabis use is associated with gross anatomical abnormalities in 2 cannabinoid receptor-rich regions of the brain, the hippocampus and the amygdala. Design: Cross-sectional design using high-resolution (3-T) structural magnetic resonance imaging. Setting: Participants were recruited from the general community and underwent imaging at a hospital research facility. Participants: Fifteen carefully selected long-term (>10 years) and heavy (>5 joints daily) cannabis-using men ..