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According to recent reports, marijuana use has more than doubled in the past decade. Although it is often portrayed as harmless, and sometimes even therapeutic, marijuana causes significant brain changes by slowing activity in the frontal and temporal lobes, areas of the brain involved with focus, concentration, motivation, memory, learning, and mood stability. Some argue that marijuana is not addictive, but as this study demonstrates, it is a drug like any other. Anything that makes a person feel good—be it food, drugs, alcohol, exercise, gambling, or sex—causes a rewiring of the pleasure centers in the brain and intensifies cravings for it. When it comes to addiction, you need to think about your children’s future as much as your own since it comes with a generational toll. New evidence suggests that teenagers who smoke marijuana may be affecting themselves and their future children. Another study shows that offspring of parents who were addicted to drugs or alcohol are twice as likely to be depressed in adulthood as compared to their peers whose parents were not addicted. The question is, how can you intervene and stop the negative effects of not only addiction but also depression, which so often leads to addiction? Most young adults start developing personal and life goals, such as going to college or pursuing a particular career, by age 14. That’s why it’s important to encourage kids to begin thinking about how their brain health will affect their life and ability to accomplish those goals. Here are three recommendations for parents and their children who are ready to break the cycle of addiction and start reversing the damage that’s been done:Accept Hope
The Amen Clinics, which have collectively performed over 150,000 scans on individuals from 120 countries over the years, have treated many patients with addiction, depression, and other psychiatric conditions. We have seen recovery, repair, and re-engagement with life in patients who had almost given up on the possibility of getting better. The brain is complicated and delicate, but it is also resilient beyond explanation. When you accept that there is hope, taking action is the natural next step.Find Support
It is difficult for most people to change. Studies have shown that those who surround themselves with a support group are far more likely to have success when implementing major changes. The act of reaching out to others for support can initiate the process of healing.Get an Assessment of Your Brain
How can you change your brain if you don’t know anything about it? By using brain SPECT imaging, we can better understand the inner workings of your brain and how to effectively help you recover. Our Full Evaluation includes a detailed history, cognitive testing, two brain SPECT scans (concentrating and resting states) and a doctor’s evaluation that will detail your diagnosis and treatment plan. At Amen Clinics, we can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with addictions and other emotional and cognitive issues. If you are ready to regain control of your life, give us a call at 1-888-288-9834 or visit our websiteReported rates of marijuana use have more than doubled in the past decade. Medical marijuana is now legal in nearly half of US states and is increasing access to the drug for current and potential future users. Although it is often portrayed as harmless, and sometimes even therapeutic, there has not been nearly enough studies done to prove this. In fact, marijuana is often prescribed for issues like anxiety, though studies cannot comprehensively show this to be true. The current available information of the impact marijuana has on the neurophysiology of the brain show, predominantly, depressive effects.
In a recent study using PET imaging to demonstrate the release of dopamine in the striatum, a region of the brain that is involved in working memory, impulsive behavior, and attention, results showed that heavy marijuana use has similar dopamine releasing behaviors as cocaine and heroin with addiction. Several studies in chronic cannabis users show structural changes to the hippocampus persist, even after six months of abstinence.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has already warned that we’re too quick to legalize the popular drug when research still hasn’t shown whether or not it’s truly safe. With Amen’s new research, there is proof that Dr. Murthy’s concerns are well warranted.
Just published in the most recent Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the research finds that, after studying imaging of 1,000 cannabis users’ brains, there were signs of noticeable deficiencies of blood flow. The study, which included 25,168 non-cannabis users, and 100 healthy controls, shows a scary and obvious difference in blood flow levels for those that used cannabis. Additionally, those that used marijuana showed a significant lack of blood flow in the right hippocampus, the area of the brain that helps with memory formation. This part of the brain is severely affected with those that suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
Our research has proven that marijuana users have lower cerebral blood flow than non-users. The most predictive region separating these two groups is low blood flow in the hippocampus on concentration brain SPECT imaging.This work suggests that marijuana use has damaging influences in the brain – particularly regions important in memory and learning and known to be affected by Alzheimer’s. Our research demonstrates that marijuana can have significant negative effects on brain function. The media has given a general impression that marijuana is a safe recreational drug, this research directly challenges that notion.
Several studies of perfusion imaging in marijuana users have shown similar results compared to ours. A small O15 PET study in a sample of 12 marijuana users used a randomized clinical trial design to examine brain perfusion before and after marijuana use. The study results found frontal, temporal and occipital lobe hypo-perfusion – all findings concordant with our study.
At Amen Clinics, we can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, brain injury, weight loss, addictions, memory issues, brain fog, and other emotional and cognitive issues. If you are ready to regain control over your life or help a loved one do the same, give us a call at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit for more information.
As marijuana continues to be legalized state after state, the use of marijuana during adolescence and early adulthood is continuing to rise. With decriminalization of marijuana occurring in U.S. states, the tide is turning on public opinion. Many people — particularly adolescents — falsely believe that marijuana is a harmless source of mood alteration.How do you stop your kids/teens from using marijuana?
By age 14, most young adults have started developing life goals, such as going to college or pursuing a particular career. The most important thing is to encourage your kids to begin thinking about how their brain health will affect their life and their ability to reach those goals, But how? If you tell your teen what to do, they won’t listen. If you ask the right questions and get your teen to critically think about what they want in their life, they’ll come up with their own solutions — and act on them.Here’s a place to start:
1. Wait for a time when he/she is open to talking. Be patient — it can take weeks. 2. Don’t lecture! Establish a strong connection by demonstrating an attitude of curiosity. 3. Have them talk about their values/goals, asking open-ended questions such as: What is most important to you? You’ve talked about wanting to do [fill in the blank] — How does your current behavior fit with that? 4. If he/she is engaging in behaviors that don’t compliment their goals (such as marijuana/alcohol), ask: How would things be different a year from now if you made a change? Suppose you keep engaging in [behavior]. How will things be a year from now? 5. Listen with the intent to understand, repeat what they’ve said and give NO advice. Using these methods, most teens will come around to their own solutions. We also show kids brain SPECT images of drug users and then asked them: “Which brain do you want?”We Can Help
At Amen Clinics, we can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, brain injury, weight loss, addictions, memory issues, brain fog, and other emotional and cognitive issues. If you are ready to regain control over your life or help a loved one do the same, call our brain health advisors at 1-888-288-9834 or click here to ask a question. “It’s a natural plant! What’s the big deal?” —A common declaration among youth who believe that the effects of marijuana are harmless and that the substance shouldn’t be regulated. Regardless of public opinion, the science is clear: Regular recreational use of marijuana during adolescence is harmful to the brain, which isn’t fully developed until the age of 25.What Research Says
A review article further emphasized legitimate reasons for concern, suggesting that recreational use of marijuana increases an adolescent’s risk for anxiety and depression; addictions; disruptions in cognitive development; brain changes that can stretch well into adulthood, including impaired activity in the areas that govern alertness, awareness, learning, memory and inhibitory control; and overall lower IQ.Long-Term Risks of Marijuana
The long-term risks of using recreational marijuana are even greater for adolescents with ADD/ADHD because the cognitive issues are magnified in those with already-low prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. At Amen Clinics, we call the PFC the brain’s “executive center” because it regulates impulse control and keeps us focused on the outcome of our decisions.