Citat:
As the U.S. races to legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational use, a new, large scale brain imaging study gives reason for caution. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), a sophisticated imaging study that evaluates blood flow and activity patterns, demonstrated abnormally low blood flow in virtually every area of the brain studies in nearly 1,000 marijuana compared to healthy controls, including areas known to be affected by Alzheimer’s pathology such as the hippocampus.
All datawere obtained for analysis from a large multisite database, involving 26,268 patients who came for evaluation of complex, treatment resistant issues to one of nine outpatient neuropsychiatric clinics across the United States (Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fairfield, and Brisbane, CA, Tacoma and Bellevue, WA, Reston, VA, Atlanta, GA and New York, NY) between 1995-2015. Of these, 982 current or former marijuana users had brain SPECT at rest and during a mental concentration task compared to almost 100 healhty controls. Predictive analytics with discriminant analysis was done to determine if brain SPECT regions can distinguish marijuana user brains from controls brain. Low blood flow in the hippocampus in marijuana users reliably distinguished marijuana users from controls. The right hippocampus during a concentration task was the single most predictive region in distinguishing marijuana users from their normal counterparts. Marijuana use is thought to interfere with memory formation by inhibiting activity in this part of the brain.
According to Daniel Amen, M.D., Founder of Amen Clinics, “Our research demonstrates that marijuana can have significant negative effects on brain function. The media has given the general impression that marijuana is a safe recreational drug, this research directly challenges that notion. In another new study just released, researchers showed that marijuana use tripled the risk of psychosis. Caution is clearly in order."
All datawere obtained for analysis from a large multisite database, involving 26,268 patients who came for evaluation of complex, treatment resistant issues to one of nine outpatient neuropsychiatric clinics across the United States (Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fairfield, and Brisbane, CA, Tacoma and Bellevue, WA, Reston, VA, Atlanta, GA and New York, NY) between 1995-2015. Of these, 982 current or former marijuana users had brain SPECT at rest and during a mental concentration task compared to almost 100 healhty controls. Predictive analytics with discriminant analysis was done to determine if brain SPECT regions can distinguish marijuana user brains from controls brain. Low blood flow in the hippocampus in marijuana users reliably distinguished marijuana users from controls. The right hippocampus during a concentration task was the single most predictive region in distinguishing marijuana users from their normal counterparts. Marijuana use is thought to interfere with memory formation by inhibiting activity in this part of the brain.
According to Daniel Amen, M.D., Founder of Amen Clinics, “Our research demonstrates that marijuana can have significant negative effects on brain function. The media has given the general impression that marijuana is a safe recreational drug, this research directly challenges that notion. In another new study just released, researchers showed that marijuana use tripled the risk of psychosis. Caution is clearly in order."
Forskningen tycks väl se solid ut vid en första anblick. Utgår ifrån att tidskriften som publicerat tar sitt ansvar.
Blir dock lite fundersam när jag kollar på Amen Clinics hemsida. Känns lite TV-Preaching över det hela när klinikens grundare posar med en superstylad fru som ska hjälpa marknadsföra kliniken samt sin egen lifestyleavdelning.
Snabbtest för ADD talade genast om för mig att jag kanske kan ha en viss form av ADD baserat på resultaten och länk till en video att jag kan bota det på 30 dagar hemifrån soffan.
Deras kriterier för min diagnos kändes förövrigt ganska motsägelsefulla.
Ger ett inte helt trovärdigt intryck alltså.
Dock hoppas jag att vi kan lita på att The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease inte publicerar på en höft och att det är en bra studie.
Studien säger alltså att vanemässiga rökare ser nedsatt funktion i hippocampus orsakad av försämrad blodcirkulation genom hjärnan. Detta påverkar hjärnans förmåga att hantera minnen åt det negativa. Sämre minnesfunktioner med andra ord.
Att närminnet blir lite avtrubbat vet vi så klart redan (även om alla inte tycks drabbas av detta fenomen), men här presenteras alltså en förklaring till varför.