On first blush, without reading the original research, this seems to be a reporter overstating the findings of the study. The quotes of the author of the study do not appear to be as oriented to 'damage' (which implies something permanent or structural). It seems to me the author of the news report is the one who describes these effects as alarming 'brain damage.'
Paul C. Bernhardt Department of Psychology Frostburg State University Frostburg, Maryland -----Original Message----- From: sbl...@ubishops.ca [mailto:sbl...@ubishops.ca] Sent: Thu 12/24/2009 1:43 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Cannabis damages young brains Read this news report. Then answer a simple question: who were the subjects of this alarming study? --------------------------------- Cannabis Damages Young Brains More Than Originally Thought, Study Finds ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2009) - Canadian teenagers are among the largest consumers of cannabis worldwide. The damaging effects of this illicit drug on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to new research by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric researcher from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. The new study, published in Neurobiology of Disease, suggests that daily consumption of cannabis in teens can cause depression and anxiety, and have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain. "We wanted to know what happens in the brains of teenagers when they use cannabis and whether they are more susceptible to its neurological effects than adults," explained Dr. Gobbi, who is also a professor at McGill University. Her study points to an apparent action of cannabis on two important compounds in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine -- which are involved in the regulation of neurological functions such as mood control and anxiety. "Teenagers who are exposed to cannabis have decreased serotonin transmission, which leads to mood disorders, as well as increased norepinephrine transmission, which leads to greater long-term susceptibility to stress," Dr. Gobbi stated. Previous epidemiological studies have shown how cannabis consumption can affect behaviour in some teenagers. "Our study is one of the first to focus on the neurobiological mechanisms at the root of this influence of cannabis on depression and anxiety in adolescents," confirmed Dr. Gobbi. It is also the first study to demonstrate that cannabis consumption causes more serious damage during adolescence than adulthood. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217115834.h tm or http://tinyurl.com/yc99kal ---------------------------- The answer is: They studied rats, teenage rats. See for yourself. Abstract of the published study at http://tinyurl.com/ygrcbye It's not the fault of the science daily journalist, though, because this egregious misinformation is present in the original press release from McGill University. Shame, McGill! http://muhc.ca/newsroom/news/cannabis-and-adolescence- dangerous-cocktail or http://tinyurl.com/yhyedn5 Stephen ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: sbl...@ubishops.ca 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
<<winmail.dat>>
