Boys genetically predisposed to schizophrenia who try cannabis before 16 experience changes in brain development according to a new study, in a finding that could help researchers understand why some people are more vulnerable to the effects of the drug.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that the boys developed a thinner cerebral cortex than their peers over time, which could signal that cannabis somehow interferes with the development of that part of the brain. The heaviest cannabis users experienced the most significant changes.
The discovery, made from a combined analysis of over 1,500 youth, contributes to a growing body of evidence implicating cannabis use in adolescence and schizophrenia later in life.
Read the full article here:
The Research Paper is here:
Early Cannabis Use, Polygenic Risk Score for Schizophrenia and Brain Maturation in Adolescence
But how do you know you’re schizophrenia-prone really. Even though my family has mental illness history I knew nothing about it. But I never tried pot til i was 18 anyways. Phewwwwwwwwwwww…although I’m sure there’s still developmental stunting at 18 too.
I think the numbers for people who meet these criteria and go on to develop psychosis is in line with what the study is talking about.
Edit: ugh, read the article, Rhubot!
To determine a person’s schizophrenia risk, researchers used a tool that looks at more than 100 different genetic locations to find changes associated with the disease.
I probably had almost everything on that list, but still I never was told “You may be Schizophrenic” or thought I may be or anything. I smoked weed cuz it made me feel better. Even though in the long term it created greater problems most likely.