The short-term and long-term effects of cannabis on cognition: recent advances in the field.
E. Kroon, L. Kuhns, J. Cousijn
Current Opinion in Psychology July 16, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.07.005 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractCannabis intoxication temporarily impairs learning, memory, attentional control, and motor inhibition. Evidence for lasting cognitive deficits from long-term heavy use is mixed, partly because studies struggle to accurately measure cannabis exposure, control for lingering acute effects, and account for differences in cognitive tests and participant groups. Better research designs and multidisciplinary teamwork are needed to clarify these long-term effects.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Cannabis intoxication causes short-term impairment in learning, episodic memory, attentional control, and motor inhibition, but evidence for long-term cognitive effects from heavy use remains inconclusive. |
Abstract
The aim of this review is to discuss the most recent evidence for the short-term and long-term effects of cannabis on cognition. The evidence that cannabis intoxication is associated with short-term impairment across several basal cognitive domains, including learning and (episodic) memory, attentional control, and motor inhibition is increasing. However, evidence regarding the effects of long-term heavy cannabis use on cognition remains equivocal. Cannabis research suffers from difficulties in measuring cannabis exposure history, poor control over potential subacute effects, and heterogeneity in cognitive measures and sample composition. Multidisciplinary collaborations and investment in studies that help overcome these difficulties should be prioritized.