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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides


Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study
#8475438 - 06/02/08 03:50 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Reuter's
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Long-term heavy use of marijuana may cause two important brain structures to shrink, Australian researchers said on Monday.
Brain scans showed the hippocampus and amygdala were smaller in men who were heavy marijuana users compared to nonusers, the researchers said. The men had smoked at least five marijuana cigarettes daily for on average 20 years.
The hippocampus regulates memory and emotion, while the amygdala plays a critical role in fear and aggression.
The study, published in the American Medical Association's journal Archives of General Psychiatry, also found the heavy cannabis users earned lower scores than the nonusers in a verbal learning task -- trying to recall a list of 15 words.
The marijuana users were more likely to exhibit mild signs of psychotic disorders, but not enough to be formally diagnosed with any such disorder, the researchers said.
"These findings challenge the widespread perception of cannabis as having limited or no harmful effects on (the) brain and behavior," said Murat Yucel of ORYGEN Research Centre and the University of Melbourne, who led the study.
"Like with most things, some people will experience greater problems associated with cannabis use than others," Yucel said in an e-mail. "Our findings suggest that everyone is vulnerable to potential changes in the brain, some memory problems and psychiatric symptoms if they use heavily enough and for long enough."
Among the 15 heavy marijuana users in the study, the hippocampus volume was 12 percent less and the amygdala volume was 7 percent less than in 16 men who were not marijuana users, the researchers said.
15 users? Oh yeah, that's a conclusive study.
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Irieforester
Head to toe inH2O




Registered: 03/10/08
Posts: 515
Loc: That state seperating fro...
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8475444 - 06/02/08 03:52 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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5 joints a day for 20 years is pretty damn heavy, no matter who you are
-------------------- I am still and forever learning Apollyphelion said: You can learn A LOT from shitting in the right set and setting!
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DrOli
Biochemist

Registered: 08/27/07
Posts: 216
Last seen: 13 years, 5 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Irieforester]
#8475457 - 06/02/08 03:57 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Same as alcohol, so what.
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Sage.Phish
Guerrilla Farmer



Registered: 02/17/08
Posts: 598
Loc: City 17
Last seen: 9 years, 8 days
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: DrOli]
#8475496 - 06/02/08 04:10 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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i think alcohol actually shrinks the brain more. i remember watching health vids on it, and you could see your brain as a rasin in a the CAT scan.
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johnm214



Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Sage.Phish]
#8475535 - 06/02/08 04:17 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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This headline is almost certainly bullshit.
What it should be: "people who use marijuana have some smaller brain structures: study"
Big difference. I've met alot of nutballs that use drugs, and I don't think its the drugs. Still, this would be interesting to see how it works w/ more people. I don't really know how well stats excludes random error on a small scale, but its supposed to.
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OrgoneConclusion
Blue Fish Group



Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 45,441
Loc: Under the C
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8475658 - 06/02/08 04:45 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Funny how there is never a study on the effect on the brain for 20 years in prison for being a gardener.
--------------------
Edited by OrgoneConclusion (06/02/08 06:09 PM)
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bait_
AllSpice

Registered: 04/24/07
Posts: 2,292
Loc: This Cannot Be Happening
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: OrgoneConclusion]
#8475953 - 06/02/08 06:00 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Good. My brain is too big for my head anyways.
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sleepy
zZzZzZzZz


Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 3,888
Loc:
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8476097 - 06/02/08 06:26 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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where'd they get 5 joints a day for 20 years?
Edited by sleepy (06/02/08 06:29 PM)
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hockeyplyr1057
Music Lover



Registered: 03/20/07
Posts: 573
Last seen: 9 years, 5 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: sleepy]
#8476145 - 06/02/08 06:37 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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5 joints a day for 20 years is just askin for it.
same goes with alcohol use like that
-------------------- All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. -Gandalf
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John Nada
Toujours Frais


Registered: 03/03/03
Posts: 97,746
Loc: Hotwings; race car
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8476318 - 06/02/08 07:24 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yeah, they need some more folks than 15. And did this test start 20 yrs ago?
Or did they just screen surveys for men who said they had smoked an average of 5 joints over the past 20 years? Cause that wouldn't be very scientific
And if they did start the test 20 yrs ago, then who's to say that these guys didn't have smaller hippocampuses and amygdalas before they started smoking? Maybe people with smaller hippocampuses and amygdalas are more prone to smoke anyway.
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clover606
Stranger

Registered: 08/13/07
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: John Nada]
#8476586 - 06/02/08 08:21 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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i think youre on to something paradis, since the amygdalas controls fear, maybe a smaller one would mean less succeptable to fear tactics like claiming cannabis shrinks your brain.
-------------------- grassman said: I remember being in DARE when i was much younger and some of the stories they would tell you are not only ridiculous, but completely untrue. One story was that a woman was on LSD and thought her infant was a turkey so she baked it in the oven. Now I look back and think thats hilarious, but at the time I guess it scared me.
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boxcarguy07
Uno



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Posts: 3,942
Loc: SC
Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: clover606]
#8476768 - 06/02/08 08:50 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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In all fairness, the OP did not post the rest of the article:
Quote:
The researchers acknowledged that the study did not prove it was the marijuana and not some other factor that triggered these brain differences. But Yucel said the findings certainly suggested marijuana was the cause.
"STONED" FOR 20 YEARS
While about half of the marijuana users reported experiencing some form of paranoia and social withdrawal, only one of the nonusers reported such symptoms, Yucel said.
The heavy marijuana users, average age 40, said they had used other illicit drugs less than 10 times, the researchers said.
A U.S. group supporting legal sales and regulation of marijuana took issue with the findings, particularly because they were based on men who were such heavy, long-term users.
"These were people who were essentially stoned all day every day for 20 years," Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said by e-mail. "This study says nothing about moderate or occasional users, who are the vast majority -- and the (study) even acknowledges this."
"The documented damage caused by comparably heavy use of alcohol or tobacco is just off-the-charts more serious, and you don't need high-tech scans to find it," Mirken added.
Yucel said the researchers have begun new research on the effects of both short-term and long-term and moderate and heavy use of marijuana.
Still, a very misleading title, and what a crap "study"
--------------------
Music doesn't stop at the ears when it begins at the heart.
"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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alphabeatu
Sire


Registered: 11/07/07
Posts: 2,750
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8476902 - 06/02/08 09:13 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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pigs love this kiid of false propaganda,then go out and bust weed smokers whilst they themselves import manufacture and sell ice here
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=573530
and this is our orchard of righteous men in blue upholding the law(their way)
--------------------
i need names and addresses of narc members pm for details
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Ram Dass
Challenger



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Posts: 693
Loc: 2000 Feet Under the Sea
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: alphabeatu]
#8476970 - 06/02/08 09:24 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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smaller brain means less chance for stroke, doesnt it?
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two_rivers
mmm..



Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 1,014
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Ram Dass]
#8477142 - 06/02/08 09:51 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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even if this study actually proved something... which it doesn't because there are waaaay too many variables.. who's to say that these effects are "bad"?
decreased memory: maybe it allows the person to focus more on the present moment.
decreased emotion: this is something i strive to do, maybe i should increase my marijuana intake.
and i'd imagine that shrinkage of the amygdala, would also reduce fear and aggression.... so i don't understand the problem here either...
and as for these users displaying some traits of psychotic disorders... whoopityDOO! anybody who is "sane" by modern society's standards has a psychotic disorder as far as i'm concerned.
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    Save Shroomerites Anonymous!
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gumkeegan
I can relate to my toes



Registered: 02/08/08
Posts: 107
Loc: prescott, az
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: two_rivers]
#8477704 - 06/02/08 11:44 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
two_rivers said: ...anybody who is "sane" by modern society's standards has a psychotic disorder as far as i'm concerned.
Yes, but anybody who judges his own sanity through the unavoidably-warped plexiglass of his perceptions of the "society's standards" is also utterly insane.
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Sactown_Shroomer
Fool on the Hill

Registered: 11/30/05
Posts: 62
Loc: Sacramento, CA
Last seen: 1 year, 6 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: two_rivers]
#8478062 - 06/03/08 01:40 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Is it possilbe for any person to correctly define sanity?
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two_rivers
mmm..



Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 1,014
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Sactown_Shroomer]
#8478180 - 06/03/08 02:45 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Yes, but anybody who judges his own sanity through the unavoidably-warped plexiglass of his perceptions of the "society's standards" is also utterly insane.
..it was meant to be a joke.
--------------------
    Save Shroomerites Anonymous!
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tyler_0_durden
Stranger


Registered: 10/28/07
Posts: 1,861
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: two_rivers]
#8480299 - 06/03/08 05:07 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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12% less after 5 joints a day for 20 years? That's not very bad brain damage at all.
And they said for the heavy users that they still did not show enough signs for a psychotic disorder.
Marijuana doesn't harm you a lot, is what this study is saying...not marijuana is bad for you. Because clearly, if someone binged with alcohol that much they wouldn't even have a brain after 20 years...LOL.
-------------------- "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter." --Max Planck
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ArtVandaley
Stranger

Registered: 05/08/08
Posts: 626
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: tyler_0_durden]
#8481539 - 06/03/08 10:07 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Study my ass, waste of 20 years worth of paper, ink, and time-but definatley not the weed! Mabe these very smart people funding and researching these studies should spend more time on important issues like cancer,stroke,aids etc... leave what was here before us alone why is it that anything natural like mushrooms,MJ,kava,qat and so on all a problem but what ever is man made and taxed of course is all o.k? not like ciggies and booze hurt anyone..
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johnm214



Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8481666 - 06/03/08 10:46 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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You don't think think its worthwhile to find if marijuana causes changes in the brain?
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ArtVandaley
Stranger

Registered: 05/08/08
Posts: 626
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: johnm214]
#8482444 - 06/04/08 04:49 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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No i just think that exessive use like what was studied after 20 years would produce worse effects with alcohol. that is if you live after it...
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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8482813 - 06/04/08 08:42 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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The last 2 paragraphs kind of sums it up...
A spliff test for science June 3, 2008 - NewScientist
It's the oldest but most important scientific question when two phenomena appear related: does one cause the other, vice versa, or is the apparent relationship pure coincidence? The question came up again this week when an Australian study demonstrated that 15 men who had all smoked marijuana heavily for at least 10 years had shrunken brain structures compared to those in non-users.
So was it the cannabis that on average shrank their hippocampuses by 12% and their amygdalas by 7%? Or were these same regions small to start with in these men, and if so, was it something that played a part in their strong liking for cannabis?
Certainly, both these regions are heavily affected by cannabis because they are both unusually rich in molecular receptors for delta-9-tetrahydrocannibol (THC), the psychoactive component in weed. The hippocampus is vital for storing memories and for the perception of time, and marijuana is known to affect both. Likewise, the amygdala is the brain's "fear" centre, and plays a key role in whether we react aggressively to events. Again, this fits with the observation that cannabis users sometimes develop paranoia.
To come back to the Australia study, is it equally possible that such prolonged exposure to cannabis wears out and shrinks these cannabis-sensitive regions? Again, we're back to cause and effect.
The only way to resolve it once and for all (as pointed out by the Australian researchers themselves at the end of their paper) would be to have brain scans of people before and after they began smoking cannabis. That way, you could see whether these regions did actually shrink the more cannabis they were exposed to. Or whether some people with unusually small regions at the outset turned out to be more attracted to the weed.
Unfortunately, a study to find out by deliberately giving cannabis to volunteers then following them for many years to see if their brains shrank would be unethical. Ethical comparisons could only be done if scans had been performed randomly on a wide population of children and kept as a general resource for researchers. If any of the scanned children subsequently became heavy dope users, it would be easy to check back and monitor whether brain regions were changing size. But obtaining the scans would cost a huge amount of money without any guarantee that it would yield any findings of interest.
So for now, we simply don't know for sure whether cannabis is genuinely changing brain architecture. And the same dilemmas apply to study of all addictions. Which is why some researchers contacted by New Scientist cautioned against sensationalising the Australian results.
"You must be very careful looking at this paper in isolation," says Tim Williams, who studies addiction at the University of Bristol. "With this kind of study, you can't tease out cause and effect." Williams also pointed out that a study in 2005 of long-term cannabis users by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that there was no effect on the size of their hippocampuses. "I'm surprised the Australians found an effect where others haven't," he adds.
The take-home message is clear! Be cautious about concluding too much from addiction studies which might confuse cause and effect. Yes, it could be down to the drug, but equally, it could be down to your pre-existing brain architecture, and the effect of that on your personality.
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timekiller
God



Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 179
Loc: I'm too fucked up to know...
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8482918 - 06/04/08 09:31 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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those are the parts of the brain I'm trying to shrink. Guess I'm gonna have to start smokin a whole lot more.
-------------------- SATAN?
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RoosterCogburn
Fearless,one-eyed U.S.Marshall



Registered: 08/25/06
Posts: 8,508
Loc: Dirty South, NJ
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: timekiller]
#8482949 - 06/04/08 09:42 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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I need to find a study that will give me 5 joints a day for 20 years... I'm looking for a new career move, and that certainly sounds like something I can do.
I hope they do a new one.
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boletusoftruth
Psychedelic Funk



Registered: 10/03/07
Posts: 1,133
Loc: MASS
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: RoosterCogburn]
#8483942 - 06/04/08 03:10 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
The hippocampus regulates memory and emotion, while the amygdala plays a critical role in fear and aggression.
So after 20 years of of smoking a joint every 4 hours, they have become mellow people who struggle to remember someone's name after they meet them.
If the facts in this shitty study are accurate, not half bad I'd say.
--------------------
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ArtVandaley
Stranger

Registered: 05/08/08
Posts: 626
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: boletusoftruth]
#8485192 - 06/04/08 08:20 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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-
Edited by ArtVandaley (06/04/08 08:25 PM)
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ArtVandaley
Stranger

Registered: 05/08/08
Posts: 626
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8485209 - 06/04/08 08:24 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yeah sure, someone who is stoned would be a more approachable person apposed to someone blind drunk... thats just my 2c
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DepthToTheCore
JeeBuzz


Registered: 05/05/04
Posts: 3,649
Loc: Australia brah
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8485277 - 06/04/08 08:36 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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This story was on our 6pm news last night. They went right into it, but of course, failed to mention that the study was based on only 15 people.
I wasn't surprised. Fuck the media.
--------------------
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music." - George Carlin
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ArtVandaley
Stranger

Registered: 05/08/08
Posts: 626
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: DepthToTheCore]
#8486065 - 06/04/08 11:34 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yeah stinkin a current affair type shows...
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DepthToTheCore
JeeBuzz


Registered: 05/05/04
Posts: 3,649
Loc: Australia brah
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8486221 - 06/05/08 12:13 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Nah it was 6pm Nine News, which was even worse.
--------------------
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music." - George Carlin
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ArtVandaley
Stranger

Registered: 05/08/08
Posts: 626
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: DepthToTheCore]
#8486883 - 06/05/08 04:26 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Cant trust any programs these days then...
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N2loma
Foaming Pipe Snake



Registered: 05/17/08
Posts: 925
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8492540 - 06/06/08 12:19 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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I'd like to hear about the statistical strength of the apparent effects on the brain structures, and whether other factors were looked into as possible correlations with the differences (if real). It is all too easy for drug researchers to report insignificant effects to mainstream news sources to get recognition for their work or support related public policies.
-------------------- "So can you tell me what exactly does freedom mean/ If I'm not free to be as twisted as I wanna be" -Divide by Disturbed Good Guitars Don't Cry
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N2loma
Foaming Pipe Snake



Registered: 05/17/08
Posts: 925
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: RoosterCogburn]
#8492546 - 06/06/08 12:21 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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You know, I don't even like the amygdala much anyways...
-------------------- "So can you tell me what exactly does freedom mean/ If I'm not free to be as twisted as I wanna be" -Divide by Disturbed Good Guitars Don't Cry
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badchad
Mad Scientist

Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,379
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: N2loma]
#8492967 - 06/06/08 02:39 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
N2loma said: It is all too easy for drug researchers to report insignificant effects to mainstream news sources to get recognition for their work or support related public policies.
This is true, but publishing in a relatively high-tier peer-reviewed journal is much more difficult.
-------------------- ...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge. It is an indellible experience; it is forever known. I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did. Smith, P. Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27. ...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely. Osmond, H. Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436
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johnm214



Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: badchad]
#8493011 - 06/06/08 02:49 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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yeah...
The point that pisses me off is that people read the coverage of some studies and immediatly conclude the study is crap and that science is being manipulated.
Garbage.
These news writers just write correlation as causality, suggestions as facts, and possiblities and provens.
I'll try and find the text of this study and see what it says.
As to those saying that it means nothing cause the sample size was so small, I'm not so sure. If the variables were controlled properly the size shouldn't matter, so long as the results were signifigant. However a study like this will always have problems w/ the differences in the populations studied, as this wasn't an experiment.
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Ap0calypse
Stranger
Registered: 05/20/08
Posts: 79
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8493152 - 06/06/08 03:29 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Damn i'm half-way there. That being said, this "study" has no scientific merit at all...
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ExplosiveMango
HallucinogenusDigitallus


Registered: 07/12/05
Posts: 3,222
Last seen: 14 years, 6 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: DrOli]
#8501883 - 06/08/08 10:43 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
DrOli said: Same as alcohol, so what.
No where NEAR as bad as alcohol.
-------------------- Know your self. Know your substance. Know your source. The most distorted perspective possible is the perspective that yours is not distorted.
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myshoesarered
Mushabelly Snoozem



Registered: 12/12/07
Posts: 377
Loc: The Mitt
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8501930 - 06/08/08 11:01 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Good God, you wouldn't smoke 5 of anything daily for 20 years and expect absolutely nothing bad to happen.
-------------------- "What a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all round the sun, and when we meet on a cloud I'll be laughing out loud, I'll be laughing at everyone I see, Can't believe, how strange it is to be anything at all..." "...nobody has yet died of amazement & you always come back to planet Earth..."
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johnm214



Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Ap0calypse]
#8502146 - 06/09/08 12:34 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ap0calypse said: Damn i'm half-way there. That being said, this "study" has no scientific merit at all...
Why? Cuz you said so?
I'm glad everyone is so opinioanted, too bad their opinion appears to rest on nothingness.
ANyways, found this, though the journal doesn't appear to be among those I've access to other than through a source that likely has an emargo.
The differening volume isn't corolated w/ the perforamnce difference in the cannabis users, so I wonder if there isn't a selection bias thing here... third variable being that fuckups are more likely to use marijuana?
Quote:
Regional Brain Abnormalities Associated With Long-term Heavy Cannabis Use
Murat Yücel, PhD, MAPS; Nadia Solowij, PhD; Colleen Respondek, BSc; Sarah Whittle, PhD; Alex Fornito, PhD; Christos Pantelis, MD, MRCPsych, FRANZCP; Dan I. Lubman, MB ChB, PhD, FRANZCP
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65(6):694-701.
Context Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the developed world. Despite this, there is a paucity of research examining its long-term effect on the human brain.
Objective To determine whether long-term heavy cannabis use is associated with gross anatomical abnormalities in 2 cannabinoid receptor–rich regions of the brain, the hippocampus and the amygdala.
Design Cross-sectional design using high-resolution (3-T) structural magnetic resonance imaging.
Setting Participants were recruited from the general community and underwent imaging at a hospital research facility.
Participants Fifteen carefully selected long-term (>10 years) and heavy (>5 joints daily) cannabis-using men (mean age, 39.8 years; mean duration of regular use, 19.7 years) with no history of polydrug abuse or neurologic/mental disorder and 16 matched nonusing control subjects (mean age, 36.4 years).
Main Outcome Measures Volumetric measures of the hippocampus and the amygdala combined with measures of cannabis use. Subthreshold psychotic symptoms and verbal learning ability were also measured.
Results Cannabis users had bilaterally reduced hippocampal and amygdala volumes (P = .001), with a relatively (and significantly [P = .02]) greater magnitude of reduction in the former (12.0% vs 7.1%). Left hemisphere hippocampal volume was inversely associated with cumulative exposure to cannabis during the previous 10 years (P = .01) and subthreshold positive psychotic symptoms (P < .001). Positive symptom scores were also associated with cumulative exposure to cannabis (P = .048). Although cannabis users performed significantly worse than controls on verbal learning (P < .001), this did not correlate with regional brain volumes in either group.
Conclusions These results provide new evidence of exposure-related structural abnormalities in the hippocampus and amygdala in long-term heavy cannabis users and corroborate similar findings in the animal literature. These findings indicate that heavy daily cannabis use across protracted periods exerts harmful effects on brain tissue and mental health.
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sleepy
zZzZzZzZz


Registered: 01/17/05
Posts: 3,888
Loc:
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Le_Canard]
#8502513 - 06/09/08 04:48 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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i wonder what 4 hours of tv a day does to a brain
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mr_minds_eye
Disposable Wage Whore

Registered: 01/22/02
Posts: 1,948
Loc: Samsara
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: Sactown_Shroomer]
#8506790 - 06/10/08 09:57 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Sactown_Shroomer said: Is it possilbe for any person to correctly define sanity?
"Find me a sane man and I will sure him." -Carl Jung
As far as the international pseudoephedrine ring that guy posted the link to, I don't understand why we aren't just seeing these people having Ephedra sinica plantations. It seems like it could be done under the radar.
-------------------- Our quest for discovery fuels our creativity in all fields, not just science. If we reached the end of the line, the human spirit would shrivel and die. But I don't think we will ever stand still: we shall increase in complexity, if not in depth, and shall always be the center on an expanding horizon of possibilities. -Stephen Hawking
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TheWallpf
love & light



Registered: 09/01/07
Posts: 30
Loc: outside of me
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: ArtVandaley]
#8519501 - 06/13/08 12:25 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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TRy putting alcohol up to those same standards i bet a daily drinker for 20 yrs doesnt have a healthier liver or an amygdala and hippocampus
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OrgoneConclusion
Blue Fish Group



Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 45,441
Loc: Under the C
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Re: Heavy Marijuana Use Shrinks Brain Parts: Study [Re: TheWallpf]
#8519709 - 06/13/08 01:18 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Let's outlaw cold water as it shrinks the 'other brain'.
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