RESULTS Although causality is unclear , heavy and dependent cannabis use is consistently associated with a high prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders and learning and memory impairments that seem to recover after a period of abstinence .
Evidence regarding other cognitive domains and neurological consequences including cerebrovascular events is limited and inconsistent .
Abstinence after treatment is only achieved in a minority of cases ; treatment targeted at reduction in use appears have some success .
Potential moderators of the impact of CUD on the brain include age of onset , heaviness of use , CUD severity , the ratio of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol to cannabidiol , and severity of comorbid disorders .
Current evidence of long-term effects of daily cannabis use and cannabis use disorder on brain-related outcomes is suggestive rather than conclusive but use is associated with psychiatric morbidity and with cognitive impairments that recover after a period of abstinence
AIMS To summarize and evaluate our knowledge of the relationship between heavy cannabis use , Cannabis Use Disorder ( CUD ) , and the brain .
Cognitive and Mental Health Predictors of Withdrawal Severity During an Active Attempt to Cut Down Cannabis Use
A milestone in cannabis research is the establishment of a clinical ly relevant cannabis withdrawal syndrome , yet little is known about the underlying mechanisms . We investigated the predictive role of mental health and cognitive factors in withdrawal severity during an active attempt to cut down , relative to uninterrupted cannabis use . Ninety heavy cannabis users were r and omly assigned to an experimental or control group . The experimental group was asked to cut down substance use for 1 week . Past week substance use , substance use-related problems , depressive symptoms , cravings , and cognitive control were assessed at baseline . Past week substance use and withdrawal severity were assessed at follow-up . The experimental group reduced their cannabis use more and experienced more withdrawal than the control group . Hierarchical regression analysis per predictor indicated that cannabis use-related problems , depressive symptoms , and cannabis craving , but not cognitive control , predicted stronger withdrawal . Craving uniquely predicted withdrawal in the experimental group . A combined hierarchical regression indicated that only depressive symptoms and cannabis use-related problems uniquely predicted withdrawal across groups . These results suggest that depressive symptoms and cannabis use-related problems are generally indicative of cannabis withdrawal severity , whereas craving specifically predicts cannabis withdrawal during an active attempt to cut-down cannabis use
RESULTS Although causality is unclear , heavy and dependent cannabis use is consistently associated with a high prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders and learning and memory impairments that seem to recover after a period of abstinence .
Evidence regarding other cognitive domains and neurological consequences including cerebrovascular events is limited and inconsistent .
Abstinence after treatment is only achieved in a minority of cases ; treatment targeted at reduction in use appears have some success .
Potential moderators of the impact of CUD on the brain include age of onset , heaviness of use , CUD severity , the ratio of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol to cannabidiol , and severity of comorbid disorders .
Current evidence of long-term effects of daily cannabis use and cannabis use disorder on brain-related outcomes is suggestive rather than conclusive but use is associated with psychiatric morbidity and with cognitive impairments that recover after a period of abstinence
AIMS To summarize and evaluate our knowledge of the relationship between heavy cannabis use , Cannabis Use Disorder ( CUD ) , and the brain .