Effects of Cannabis on Cognition - Coursework Example

of Learning: Effects of Cannabis on Cognition Introduction Among the illegal drugs available in theworld, cannabis has been found the most widely used drug among the youth. The use of cannabis among young adults has been linked low achievements in academic work, legal issues, unemployment, and high chances of acquiring psychotic disorder. A number of studies have been conducted regarding the effects of cannabis on cognition, and surprisingly most of the results of the studies indicate that there is always a short term dysfunction on cognition of the healthy volunteers. The use of cannabis has been found to be causing adverse effects on cognitive processes such like impairment of memory processes due to the intoxication from the contents of the cannabis. The intoxication is caused by the active content in cannabis known as -9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC. The active content in cannabis, THC, normally binds with the CB1 receptors that are situated in the central nervous system when an individual consumes cannabis. The binding of the CB1 receptors and the THC brings about an effect to the motor function, learning and memory of the victim. Though cannabis has got a number of effects to the users, this essay seeks to address the effects of cannabis on cognition. In relation to the topic, there are a number of studies which have been conducted by various specialists in the field. One of them is a study done on the neuropsychological deficits associated with the use of cannabis among young adults. The study focused on recruiting young adults who volunteered from the general community who neither have records of using illegal drugs nor axis-I disorders. Results of the study indicated that the use of cannabis affects cognition. Another study related to the topic is the use of cannabis and cognitive function in young adults. The main aim of this particular study was to do the evaluation of the relationship between change in the use of cannabis and the performance of cognition among young adults aged 20 and 24 years in the Australian community cohort for over 8 years (Odlauga 68). The study used a survey methodology with the design of a cohort. Another study done regarding the topic is the altered activation of the brain during visuomotor integration in chronic users of cannabis in relation to the cortisol levels. This study mainly aimed at determining whether the chronic use of cannabis in human beings would alter activation of brain, function of the psychomotor and function of hypothalamic pituitary axis in men and women. A Study On Neuropsychological Deficits Associated With Cannabis Use In Young Adults The first empirical study focused on studying the deficits of neuropsychology in relation to the use of cannabis in young adults. The range of behaviors in this particular study was measured by use of a semi-structured instrument, and by the use of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric interview. Well validated computerized paradigms were used to measure cognitive functions of the individuals. The paradigms used were from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (Odlauga 63). All the subjects of the study were put into groups based on whether they used cannabis once or more in each week during the previous twelve months. This study indicates that cannabis has been identified as the most used substance which is has been strongly linked to cognitive impairment. However, despite this conclusion, it still remains unclear if the resulting impairment can still take place with the lack of co-morbid axis-I disorder confounding influences and that other illicit substances can be used instead. This uncertainty called for the need for further studies to be carried with regards with this subject. One of such studies is the examination of the relation between the use of cannabis and the performance of CABTAB cognitive (Odlauga 60). Cannabis users have been associated with a number of deficits and this study was out to attribute to such confounds The pertinent results of this particular study indicate that the use of cannabis was associated to risky decision making. This took place alongside other deficits including spatial working memory, reduced motor performance, and poor attention in class. The authors of this study concluded that use of cannabis among young adults lead to selective cognitive dysfunction in terms of executive planning and decision making (Odlauga 68). The results from this study indicate that the figures from the controls and cannabis users did not differ so much in relation to salient demographic characteristics. In comparison to the controls, the cannabis users experienced significant impairments when it came to the quality of the decisions they made as well as their executive planning. However, it was observed that the spatial working memory, response inhabitation and sustained attention were not affected by the use of cannabis. The main finding of this study is that the use of cannabis has been associated with risky making of elevated decisions. This was observed in the way the cannabis users in the study made rational decision as compared to controls. This left them more vulnerable to making risky judgments. The impairment was associated with the lack of generalized problems of decisions making and response speed. From the study, it is clear that the people who use cannabis are not sensitive to negative punishment. The results of the study still remain questionable following the limitations associated with the study. The study involved a cross-section study hence had inherent limitations like there are chances that the cognitive findings may have been influenced by factors that were unmeasured related to the use of cannabis and not the use of cannabis itself. The study did not take note of the last time the respondents used cannabis and this was a useful retrospect that was left out as it could have offered more information with regards to the quantity consumed. Consequently, the study fails to clarify if cognitive issues predate the use of cannabis or they are as a result of the cannabis use. It also fails to find out the possible difference in the intoxication effects, protracted withdrawal, acute withdrawal or residual effects and not chronic use. From the study, it can be concluded that the use of cannabis resulted in cognitive deficits even without axis-I disorders and any history of illicit drugs use. This indicates that the use of cannabis had specific cognitive dysfunction in relation to executive planning as well as decision making. More studies should be conducted on the design that will find out if the identified cognitive deficits predate the use of cannabis or are as a result of its consumption. A Study On Cannabis Use And Cognitive Function: 8-Year Trajectory In A Young Adult Cohortadd_3574 The second study addressed the use of cannabis and cognitive function in young adults. The range of behaviors of the subjects of the study was measured by use of a two-item test of screening, and items obtained from an existing survey. Subjects were divided into various groups as those who have never used cannabis, former users of cannabis, and current light/heavy users of cannabis. Cognitive performance of the subjects was measured by the use of Spot the Word Test, Carlifonia Verbal Learning Test, Digit Backwards, and Symbol Digit Modality Test (Christensen 49). In this study, data from an adult community that was taken as the sample of the study was based in to meet the objective of the study of determining the changes in cognitive function associate with the use of cannabis over a period of 8 years. The study was particular interested in the outcomes of consumers who continued to use a particular cannabis category in comparison with those who change. The sampled population was determined by factors such as interest principle disorders and the transition rates that were anticipated. The differences arising from the cognitive measures were noted between different cannabis user groups at the onset of the study. The study involved making comparison between the groups that used cannabis over succeeding waves. The study involved the examination of pre-morbid IQ by employing STW test. The study indicates that there exist no significant difference between the use of drugs and drugs control that are naïve. This was in relation to small samples. The contrast at the baseline did not have any significance in the study and no changes were observed in the scores during the study on changed cannabis use. These results showed that the test involving STW remains resilient to cannabis impacts use on IQ with the absence of cognitive performance control like education years (Christensen 50). The results of the study indicated that the use of cannabis either heavily or lightly or if it was used long ago has some effects on the cognitive performance of individuals. The study found out that use of cannabis affects the verbal ability, cognitive function, episodic memory, and delayed recall among those who use cannabis. The authors of this study concluded that the adverse effects of the use of cannabis on cognitive functions are either related to the pre-existing factors or tend to be reversible in this community cohort. This is despite the fact that the period of use of cannabis was extended (Christensen 52). The results of this study also remained questionable following the number of limitations during the study. One of the limitations was experienced during the interpretation of the results as the study lacked biochemical verification while examining the use of cannabis among the respondents who were abstaining from cannabis use when the study was conducted. This meant that the quantity of the cannabis intake for current users could not also be determined. Chances are that the current users were already intoxicated when the testing was being carried out or they were experiencing residual impacts or in some cases undergoing withdrawal thus affecting the cognitive function. The history of the use of cannabis applied in the study failed to asses how frequent it was used which may have impacted cognitive function. The results indicate that there was evidence of improved performances associated with sustained cannabis abstinence with the results being the some with those who had never consumed cannabis. This implies that the adverse use of cannabis impacts cognitive functions in such away that they are reversible after using it for a long time or they appear to be associated with factors that are pre-existing. This is a message to the low levels consumers of cannabis as it will motivate them even if they had a heavy consumption history. A study on Altered Brain Activation During Visuomotor Integration in Chronic Active Cannabis Users: Relationship to Cortisol Levels The final study of interest focused on the altered activation of the brain during visuomotor integration in chronic users of cannabis in relation to the cortisol levels. Two visits assisted the researchers of this study to collect information from the subjects. The behaviors of the subjects were measured by the use a screening evaluation, the neuropsychological test, fMRI scan, and saliva sample collection by the use of a salivate (Christensen 54) The main hypothesis of this study was that cannabis affects accuracy as well as psychomotor processing. However, such effects have been observed as being more variable. Past studies show that individuals using chronic cannabis showed only deficits in memory and learning for new information. This was not the case when it came to cognitive domains. However, skills such as executive function and visuo-spatial have been observed to show deficits. These findings called for the need for better understanding when it came to cannabis effects on the functions of visuomotor. A good example is that the use of cannabis can impair the ability to drive as well as the cognitive motor skills needed in driving (Deng 70). The results of this study indicate that when chronic cannabis is actively used, it led to slower performances in the tasks related to the speed of psychomotor as compared to those individuals who don’t use drugs. The individuals who consumed cannabis showed lesser lingual gyrus activation but still had greater superior frontal gyrus activation. The male cannabis users showed higher levels of cortisol which led to poor brain activation and performances (Deng 71). The results of the study indicated that as compared to the control subjects, cannabis users subjects demonstrated poor functioning of their psychomotor, a higher level of salivary cortisol, and high activation of the brain. The authors of this particular study concluded that in relation to cortisol levels, the use of cannabis brings about the variation in the activation of the brain of the users (Deng 78). The study had some limitations associated with it leaving the findings questioned. In this study, the marijuana uses that were reported were not accurate as no urine toxicology was conducted to verify the reports (Deng 80). Now that the performance of the subject was not monitored within the task involving finger-sequencing, it remained unknown how accurate the task was performed. The findings of the study indicate that there are interactions between cannabis use and gender on planning and visumotor integration. Active male cannabis users were slower in the psychomotor task while the gyrus superior frontal had more activation in male users of cannabis (Deng 83). Conclusion In conclusion, as discussed in the essay above, the three studies of interest satisfies the argument that the use of cannabis has adverse effects on cognition. In general conclusion of the studies reviewed above, it is indicated that most individuals who use cannabis usually suffer poor cognitive performance. It is therefore advisable for the cannabis users to quit cannabis for the better performance of cognition. The findings from the above studies show that consistency in the demonstration of impairments in relation to short term memories. This shows that the effects on cannabis are often subtle and extent of any impairment depends on the dose and how the user can tolerate the effects of cannabis. Cannabis has been observed to increase the chances of minor errors of verbal recall and time perception but does not affect the recall of important experiences or actions observed. For regular cannabis users, acute intoxication following the consumption has dismal effects on performance. Cannabis consumption tends to interfere with short-term memory through disrupting the process of filtering information. Work Cited Christensen, Mackinnon, et al. Cannabis use and cognitive function: 8-year trajectory. Melbourne: University of Melbourne, 2010. Print Deng, Ernst,et el. Altered Brain Activation During Visuomotor Integration in Chronic Active Cannabis Users: Relationship to Cortisol Levels. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 2011. Print Odlauga, Schreibera, et el. Neuropsychological deficits associated with cannabis use in young adults. London: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print Read More