Study Find Brain’s Response to Social Exclusion is Different in Young Marijuana Users

0
1138

According to a study by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the brains of young adult marijuana users react differently to social exclusion that the brains of those who are not using the drug. The research team found that the activation of the region of the brain that is normally active during social rejection, the insula, was reduced in those who were using marijuana. “While we know that peer groups are one of the most important predictors of marijuana use in young adults, we know very little about the neural correlates of social rejection in those who use marijuana,” says Jodi Gilman, PhD, of the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine, lead author of the paper. “The unexpected reduction in insula response may indicate that marijuana users are less conscious of social norms or have reduced ability to reflect on negative social situations, but we currently are unable to determine whether these differences in neural processing are a cause or a result of marijuana use.” To read more on this study, click here

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
o