Lack of Hippocampal Volume Change in Long-term Heavy Cannabis Users

  1. Golfo K. Tzilos M.A.1,
  2. Christina B. Cintron B.A.1,
  3. Jonas B.R. Wood B.A.1,
  4. Norah S. Simpson A.B.1,
  5. Ashley D. Young A.B.1,
  6. Harrison G. Pope Jr. M.D.2,
  7. Deborah A. Yurgelun-Todd Ph.D.1,*

Article first published online: 18 FEB 2010

DOI: 10.1080/10550490590899862

Issue

The American Journal on Addictions

The American Journal on Addictions

Volume 14, Issue 1, pages 64–72, January-February 2005

Additional Information

How to Cite

Tzilos, G. K., Cintron, C. B., Wood, J. B., Simpson, N. S., Young, A. D., Pope, H. G. and Yurgelun-Todd, D. A. (2005), Lack of Hippocampal Volume Change in Long-term Heavy Cannabis Users. The American Journal on Addictions, 14: 64–72. doi: 10.1080/10550490590899862

Author Information

  1. 1

    From the Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Mass.

  2. 2

    The Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Mass.

*Address correspondence to Dr. Yurgelun-Todd, Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478. E-mail: ytodd@mclean.harvard.edu.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 FEB 2010
  2. Article first published online: 18 FEB 2010
  3. Received December 20, 2002; revised March 25, 2003; accepted May 30, 2003.

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (88K)

The effects of cannabis smoking on the morphology of the hippocampus are still unclear, especially because previous human studies have examined primarily younger, shorter-term users. We used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate these effects in a group of 22 older, long-term cannabis users (reporting a mean [SD] of 20,100 [13,900] lifetime episodes of smoking) and 26 comparison subjects with no history of cannabis abuse or dependence. When compared to control subjects, smokers displayed no significant adjusted differences in volumes of gray matter, white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, or left and right hippocampus. Moreover, hippocampal volume in cannabis users was not associated with age of onset of use nor total lifetime episodes of use. These findings are consistent with recent literature suggesting that cannabis use is not associated with structural changes within the brain as a whole or the hippocampus in particular.

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (88K)