Marijuana tagged posts

Image Bronchiolitis signs and symptoms

A new study is to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting The study, “Marijuana Exposure in Children Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis,” recruited parents of previously healthy children 1 month to 2 years old who were admitted to Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHC) between January 2013 and April 2014 with bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the smallest air passages in the lung. The parents completed a questionnaire about their child’s health, demographics, exposure to tobacco smoke, and as of October 2014, whether anyone in the home used marijuana. Marijuana became legal in Colorado on January 1, 2014.

Of the children who were identified as having been exposed to marijuana smokers, urine samples showed traces of a metabolite of tetrah...

Marijuana plant (stock image). Evidence of a compromised dopamine system has been found in heavy users of marijuana. Credit: © Vasily Merkushev / Fotolia

Evidence of a compromised dopamine system has been found in heavy users of marijuana. Effect similar to other addictions. Lower dopamine release was found in the striatum – involved in working memory, impulsive behavior, and attention. Previous studies have shown that addiction to other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, have similar effects on dopamine release, but such evidence for cannabis was missing until now.

“In light of the more widespread acceptance and use of marijuana, especially by young people, we believe it is important to look more closely at the potentially addictive effects of cannabis on key regions of the brai...

These are divergent patterns in overlapping areas of anterior prefrontal cortex. Credit: Center for BrainHealth

The age at which an adolescent begins using marijuana may affect typical brain development. Findings show study participants who began using marijuana at the age of 16 or younger demonstrated brain variations that indicate arrested brain development in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for judgment, reasoning and complex thinking. Individuals who started using marijuana after age 16 showed the opposite effect and demonstrated signs of accelerated brain aging.

“Our findings suggest that the timing of cannabis use can result in very disparate patterns of effects,” explained Francesca Filbey, Ph.D...