ArticleAIMS public health2019
Marijuana use among adolescents is associated with deleterious alterations in mature BDNF.
Article in AIMS public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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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.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of cannabis use on blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF): A systematic review and meta-analysis.Brain and behavior · 2024Pooled it
- Pharmacoepigenetics in schizophrenia: Predicting drug response.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Influence of Socio-Ecological and Economic Correlates on Marijuana Legalization Policy Across the States of America.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Dual trajectories of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cognitive function in people living with HIV.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Cannabis Use Disorders - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2023Review
- Klotho, BDNF, NGF, GDNF Levels and Related Factors in Withdrawal Period in Chronic Cannabinoid Users.Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB · 2022Article
- Reversing the Psychiatric Effects of Neurodevelopmental Cannabinoid Exposure: Exploring Pharmacotherapeutic Interventions for Symptom Improvement.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as a potential treatment approach for cannabis use disorder.Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 2021Review
- Demographics, Substance Use Behaviors, and Clinical Characteristics of Adolescents With e-Cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) in the United States in 2019.JAMA pediatrics · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWith increases in marijuana use and legalization efforts, it is imperative to establish its impact on the developing brain. Therefore, we investigated whether exposure to marijuana alters brain derived neurotropic-factor (BDNF), given its critical role in brain development and plasticity. We then examined whether onset age of cannabis use was associated with more severe changes. A single site, cohort study following 500 urban healthy American adolescents. Changes in plasma m-BDNF levels were longitudinally assessed, and a multi-method approach was implemented to ascertain marijuana use. Multivariate and general linear model (GLM) regression modeling were utilized to test the main hypothesis, controlling for confounders.
resultsGroup-based trajectory modeling identified four distinct groups, characterized by naive (60% control), starters (14%), chronic users (20%), and experimenting/quitters (6%). Compared to controls, those initiating marijuana use had similar pre-existent m-BDNF (1939.2 ± 221 vs. 2640.7 ± 1309 ng/ml,
conclusionsThis is the first study demonstrating BDNF alterations were not a precondition. Rather, BDNF alteration was secondary to marijuana use, serving as cautionary evidence of marijuana's deleterious effects. Findings suggest that when marijuana use escalates, the BDNF pathway becomes more deregulated. Analyses confirm that age of marijuana use onset influences the magnitude of these changes.
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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.