Home > Cannabis reduces thalamic volume in people at risk of schizophrenia.

[Irish Medical Times] , Kenny, Mary Anne Cannabis reduces thalamic volume in people at risk of schizophrenia. (11 Nov 2011)

External website: http://www.imt.ie/clinical/2011/11/cannabis-reduce...

Using cannabis can lead to a loss of brain volume in people who are at risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a new study.



Previous studies have found that the brains of people with schizophrenia show structural abnormalities, particularly in a part of the brain called the thalamus. We each have two thalami — the left and the right — which are responsible for processing and relaying information.

The team studied 57 people aged between 16 and 25 who were well but who had a strong family history of schizophrenia — and were therefore at high genetic risk of the disease. Each person had a full assessment including a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Two years later, each person returned for another MRI scan. As part of this second assessment, they were asked about their use of illicit drugs (including cannabis), alcohol and tobacco in the period between scans.

 

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