Associations of adolescent versus young adult cannabis use with longitudinal neurocognitive change
Poster No:
478
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Hugh Garavan1, Emma Pearson1, Bader Chaarani1, Robert Althoff1, Alexandra Potter1, Matthew Albaugh1
Institutions:
1University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Leveraging approximately ten years of prospective longitudinal data on 704 participants, we examined the effects of adolescent versus young adult cannabis initiation on MRI-assessed cortical thickness development and behavior.
Methods:
Participants were drawn from the IMAGEN study1, a longitudinal study of ~2,000 youth conducted across eight European sites. We identified IMAGEN participants who reported being cannabis-naïve at baseline (age 14) and had data available at baseline, age 19, and age 22 follow-up visits. Cannabis use was assessed with the self-report European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs2. T1-weighted MR images were processed through the CIVET pipeline.
Results:
Associations between adolescent cannabis use (14-19 years) and cortical thickness change were observed primarily in dorso- and ventrolateral portions of the prefrontal cortex. In contrast, the extent of cannabis initiation during young adulthood (from 19-22 years in those naïve to cannabis up to age 19) showed a quite different pattern of associations. Here, cannabis use levels between 19 and 22 years of age were associated with thickness change in temporal and cortical midline areas including vmPFC. Of note, brain changes related to adolescent use persisted into young adulthood with adolescent use levels correlating with cortical thickness at age 22 even after controlling for cannabis use levels between ages 21 and 22. Further, the adolescent-related effects mediated the association between adolescent cannabis use and past-month cocaine, ecstasy, and cannabis use at age 22. In contrast to these adolescent effects, the extent of cannabis initiation during young adulthood (from 19 to 22 years) had an indirect effect on psychotic symptoms at age 22 through thickness change in temporal areas.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that the developmental timing of cannabis exposure may have a marked effect on neuroanatomical correlates of cannabis use as well as on associated behavioral sequelae. Brains regions showing cannabis-related associations tended to be those showing the largest neurodevelopmental change giving insight into why different associations might be observed across different age ranges. Finally, we will present initial results examining cannabis use among the ABCD study participants.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 1
Lifespan Development:
Normal Brain Development: Fetus to Adolescence 2
Keywords:
Addictions
Cognition
Cortex
Development
Psychiatric Disorders
STRUCTURAL MRI
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
