Science has just discovered a new fun fact for concerned parents to lecture kids about as they sit on the couch and roll their eyes – smoking pot can actually cause your brain to shrink. Thanks, science!
The Guardian today reported on the results of a long-term neurological study from the University of Texas, one of the first of its kind to use brain scans to track the changes in cannabis users.
Interestingly while long-term toking leads to loss of your brain’s volume, it can also lead to an increase in the complexity of its wiring. Before you go getting all excited, though, you can’t just bucket bong your way to being a Stephen Hawking-like genius.
Dr Sina Aslan, who led the research, said:
“The results suggest increases in connectivity, both structural and functional that may be compensating for grey matter losses. Eventually, however, the structural connectivity or ‘wiring’ of the brain starts degrading with prolonged marijuana use.”
The orbitofrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in “mental processing and decision-making” as well as empathy, is the part that shrinks, and the increase in wiring may occur as compensation for gray matter losses.
The results of the study could well explain why long-term cannabis users can smoke up and still appear to be “chill” or “keeping it together” or “just acting natural so the cops don’t search the car.”
In related news, another recent study has uncovered a further surprising fact about cannabis:
Image via Comdey Central
