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Post: Cannabis’s effects on memory might be related to sleep disruption

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Cannabis’s effects on memory might be related to sleep disruption
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University of Texas at Dallas Tracy Brown and Francesca Filbey A team of researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas has found that long-term cannabis use is associated with difficulties with sleep, which might influence the severity of memory problems associated with use of the substance.

While previous research has examined how long-term cannabis use separately affects sleep and memory, the new study , published online June 25 in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse , examined the interrelatedness of all three factors, said Dr. Francesca Filbey MS’97, professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and the study’s corresponding author.

The results could better inform a variety of groups about the links between cannabis use and memory issues: patients who use medical marijuana, physicians who prescribe it and society in general.

“This work is critical for two reasons,” said Filbey, who is also the Bert Moore Chair in BrainHealth at the Center for BrainHealth . “First, so many questions remain unanswered about the long-term effects of cannabis use. Second, more Americans are gaining legal access to cannabis — a number that is growing quickly — but how little we know about its effects remains the same.”

About 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. use cannabis products, a portion that is increasing as cannabis legalization becomes more prevalent. About 10% of people who begin smoking cannabis are at risk, either through genetic or environmental mechanisms, for addiction. The diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (CUD) is characterized by problems related to cannabis use and includes symptoms that lead to negative health impacts.

“It is crucial for those who have risk factors to understand the vulnerability associated with cannabis use,” Filbey said. “Effects can be long term, especially if you are younger than 25, and your brain is still maturing.”

The dual-site study with colleagues from the University of Amsterdam tested whether poorer learning and memory performance in individuals with CUD are due to cannabis-related sleep problems. One hundred forty-one adults diagnosed with CUD and 87 noncurrent users participated in the study. To avoid acute effects, no participants had used […]

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