SynthesisPloS one2013
Structural and functional imaging studies in chronic cannabis users: a systematic review of adolescent and adult findings.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03662737 (A Visuomotor Rotation Task as a Biomarker of Cerebellar Dysfunction in Chronic Cannabis Use), which is not on this map. Cited by 198 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
A Visuomotor Rotation Task as a Biomarker of Cerebellar Dysfunction in Chronic Cannabis Use
Who cites it
198 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 409 citations in OpenAlex.
- How adolescent cannabis use reshapes the developing brain - a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Measuring white matter microstructure in 1,457 cannabis users and 1,441 controls: A systematic review of diffusion-weighted MRI studies.Frontiers in neuroimaging · 2023Pooled it
- How do substance use disorders compare to other psychiatric conditions on structural brain abnormalities? A cross-disorder meta-analytic comparison using the ENIGMA consortium findings.Human brain mapping · 2022Pooled it
- Genetic basis of cannabis use: a systematic review.BMC medical genomics · 2021Pooled it
- The Behavioral Sequelae of Cannabis Use in Healthy People: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Age-related differences in the impact of cannabis use on the brain and cognition: a systematic review.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2019Pooled it
- Regular cannabis use is associated with altered activation of central executive and default mode networks even after prolonged abstinence in adolescent users: Results from a complementary meta-analysis.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on neuropsychological outcomes in children aged 1-11 years: A systematic review.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2018Pooled it
- Weighing the Evidence: A Systematic Review on Long-Term Neurocognitive Effects of Cannabis Use in Abstinent Adolescents and Adults.Neuropsychology review · 2016Pooled it
- Effects of cannabis on impulsivity: a systematic review of neuroimaging findings.Current pharmaceutical design · 2014Pooled it
- Adverse Effects of Cannabis Use on Neurocognitive Functioning: A Systematic Review of Meta- Analytic Studies.Journal of dual diagnosisPooled it
- Adolescents are more sensitive than adults to acute behavioral and cognitive effects of THC.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022Trial
- Blunts versus joints: Cannabis use characteristics and consequences among treatment-seeking adults.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Trial
- Perceptions of plain packaging and health warning labels for cannabis among young adults: findings from an experimental study.BMC public health · 2018Trial
- Are adolescents more vulnerable to the harmful effects of cannabis than adults? A placebo-controlled study in human males.Translational psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Decreased dopamine brain reactivity in marijuana abusers is associated with negative emotionality and addiction severity.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2014Trial
- Pretreatment measures of brain structure and reward-processing brain function in cannabis dependence: an exploratory study of relationships with abstinence during behavioral treatment.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2014Trial
- Memory impairment and chronic high-dose Δ9-THC/cannabis exposure: a narrative review of molecular mechanisms underlying neurotoxic effects.Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Positive face BOLD response and task-dependent ventral striatal functional connectivity during Go/No-go task among abstinent cannabis-using adolescents and young adults.Frontiers in adolescent medicine · 2026Article
- "Medical Cannabis": Advising Patients While Navigating Medical Ethics and Limited Evidence.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
138 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
10 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe growing concern about cannabis use, the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide, has led to a significant increase in the number of human studies using neuroimaging techniques to determine the effect of cannabis on brain structure and function. We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence of the impact of chronic cannabis use on brain structure and function in adults and adolescents.
methodsPapers published until August 2012 were included from EMBASE, Medline, PubMed and LILACS databases following a comprehensive search strategy and pre-determined set of criteria for article selection. Only neuroimaging studies involving chronic cannabis users with a matched control group were considered.
resultsOne hundred and forty-two studies were identified, of which 43 met the established criteria. Eight studies were in adolescent population. Neuroimaging studies provide evidence of morphological brain alterations in both population groups, particularly in the medial temporal and frontal cortices, as well as the cerebellum. These effects may be related to the amount of cannabis exposure. Functional neuroimaging studies suggest different patterns of resting global and brain activity during the performance of several cognitive tasks both in adolescents and adults, which may indicate compensatory effects in response to chronic cannabis exposure. LIMITATIONS: However, the results pointed out methodological limitations of the work conducted to date and considerable heterogeneity in the findings.
conclusionChronic cannabis use may alter brain structure and function in adult and adolescent population. Further studies should consider the use of convergent methodology, prospective large samples involving adolescent to adulthood subjects, and data-sharing initiatives.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What 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.