ArticlePsychopharmacology2011
Verbal learning and memory in adolescent cannabis users, alcohol users and non-users.
Article in Psychopharmacology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06420544 (Japi), which is not on this map. Cited by 107 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Japi: Cognitive, Emotional and Social Stimulation for Preschool Children
Who cites it
107 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Neuropsychological effects of cannabis use by continent and age: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- The Influence of Cannabis and Nicotine Co-use on Neuromaturation: A Systematic Review of Adolescent and Young Adult Studies.Biological psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- The Behavioral Sequelae of Cannabis Use in Healthy People: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- The effects of cannabinoid 1 receptor compounds on memory: a meta-analysis and systematic review across species.Psychopharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Association of Cannabis With Cognitive Functioning in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA psychiatry · 2018Pooled it
- Risks associated with the non-medicinal use of cannabis.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2015Pooled it
- Neurodevelopmental Effects of Cannabis Use in Adolescents and Emerging Adults with ADHD: A Systematic Review.Harvard review of psychiatryPooled it
- Acceptability, feasibility and fidelity of the culturally adapted version of Unplugged ("Yo Se Lo Que Quiero"), a substance use preventive program among adolescents in Chile: a pilot randomized controlled study.BMC public health · 2024Trial
- Feasibility and effects of galantamine on cognition in humans with cannabis use disorder.Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2019Trial
- One Month of Cannabis Abstinence in Adolescents and Young Adults Is Associated With Improved Memory.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2018Trial
- Objective and subjective memory ratings in cannabis-dependent adolescents.The American journal on addictions · 2015Trial
- Memory impairment and chronic high-dose Δ9-THC/cannabis exposure: a narrative review of molecular mechanisms underlying neurotoxic effects.Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Impaired mnemonic pattern separation associated with PTSD symptoms paradoxically improves with regular cannabis use.Npj mental health research · 2025Article
- Oral cannabidiol did not impair learning and memory in healthy adults.Journal of cannabis research · 2025Article
- Role of Cannabis in the Management of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: A Narrative Review.Clinics and practice · 2025Review
- Neurocognitive outcomes in adolescents with and without four weeks of cannabis abstinence: a randomized clinical trial using contingency management.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Verbal memory dysfunction in substance use and gambling addictive disorders: a comparative analysis of performance accuracy and error typologies.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Sex Differences in the Association Between Cumulative Use of Cannabis and Cognitive Function in Middle Age: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2024Article
- Using Task-fMRI to Explore the Relationship Between Lifetime Cannabis Use and Cognitive Control in Individuals With First-Episode Schizophrenia.Schizophrenia bulletin open · 2024Article
- Impact of cannabis use on brain metabolism usingNeuroradiology · 2023Article
47 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleLong-term heavy cannabis use can result in memory impairment. Adolescent users may be especially vulnerable to the adverse neurocognitive effects of cannabis. OBJECTIVES AND
methodsIn a cross-sectional and prospective neuropsychological study of 181 adolescents aged 16-20 (mean 18.3 years), we compared performance indices from one of the most widely used measures of learning and memory--the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test--between cannabis users (n=52; mean 2.4 years of use, 14 days/month, median abstinence 20.3 h), alcohol users (n=67) and non-user controls (n=62) matched for age, education and premorbid intellectual ability (assessed prospectively), and alcohol consumption for cannabis and alcohol users.
resultsCannabis users performed significantly worse than alcohol users and non-users on all performance indices. They recalled significantly fewer words overall (p<0.001), demonstrating impaired learning (p<0.001), retention (p<0.001) and retrieval (p<0.05) (Cohen's d 0.43-0.84). The degree of impairment was associated with the duration, quantity, frequency and age of onset of cannabis use, but was unrelated to alcohol exposure or other drug use. No gender effects were detected and the findings remained after controlling for premorbid intellectual ability. An earlier age of onset of regular cannabis use was associated with worse memory performance after controlling for extent of exposure to cannabis.
conclusionsDespite relatively brief exposure, adolescent cannabis users relative to their age-matched counterparts demonstrated similar memory deficits to those reported in adult long-term heavy users. The results indicate that cannabis adversely affects the developing brain and reinforce concerns regarding the impact of early exposure.
Indexed as
Identifiers
21328041What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.