MRI suggests smoking marijuana may boost memory
Playing sudoku and taking omega-3 vitamins may not be the only organic ways to help boost memory. A recent study published in the journal NeuroImage has found that smoking marijuana may help improve memory, according to a recent article from Live Science.
Specifically, researchers examined a group of 28-year-olds that started smoking marijuana during adolescence. The group took a working-memory test while undergoing an MRI brain scan and, according to study results, individuals who smoked marijuana performed just as well or better than the control group. Additionally, more than half of the study participants reported they have smoked marijuana since adolescence and started smoking at an average age of 15 years old.
"We know that adolescent brains are still changing and developing, and we also know that this is a time when a lot of people are experimenting with cannabis and other drugs," explained lead study author Brenden Tervo-Clemmens, a PhD student in clinical psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, to Live Science. "I'm interested in this cause-and-effect relationship that may or may not exist."
Tervo-Clemmens and colleagues did note, however, that the brain regions that worked slower in the smoking group compared to the control group were inconsistent among participants, "suggesting that other factors besides marijuana could account for the cognitive difference."
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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.