Gender Effects On Amygdala Morphometry In Adolescent Marijuana Users

[Canadense]

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432811004360

Gender effects on amygdala morphometry in
adolescent marijuana users

Research report

Gender effects on amygdala morphometry in adolescent marijuana users

• ^aDepartment of Psychology,
  University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
• ^bDepartment of Psychology,
  University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
• ^cDepartment of Psychology,
  University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
• ^dVA San Diego Healthcare System,
  San Diego, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
• ^e
  Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San
  Diego, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA

Corresponding author at: VA
San Diego Healthcare System (116B), 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San
Diego, CA 92161, USA. Tel.: +1 858 552 7563; fax: +1 858 552 7414. Received 4 January 2011 Revised 24 May
2011 Accepted 26 May 2011 Available online 2 June 2011

1.
Introduction 2. Materials and methods 3. Results 4.
Discussion 5. Conclusions Disclosure statement Role
of the funding source Acknowledgements References

Abstract

Adolescent
developments in limbic structures and the endogenous cannabinoid system
suggest that teenagers may be more vulnerable to the negative
consequences of marijuana use. This study examined the relationships
between amygdala volume and internalizing symptoms in teenaged chronic
marijuana users. Participants were 35 marijuana users and 47 controls
ages 16–19 years. Exclusions included psychiatric (e.g., mood and
anxiety) or neurologic disorders. Substance use, internalizing
(anxiety/depression) symptoms and brain scans were collected after 28
days of monitored abstinence. Reliable raters manually traced amygdala
and intracranial volumes on high-resolution magnetic resonance images.
Female marijuana users had larger right amygdala volumes and more
internalizing symptoms than female controls, after covarying head size,
alcohol, nicotine and other substance use (p < 0.05), while
male users had similar volumes as male controls. For female controls
and males, worse mood/anxiety was linked to smaller right
amygdala volume (p < 0.05), whereas more internalizing
problems was associated with bigger right amygdala in female
marijuana users. Gender interactions may reflect marijuana-related
interruptions to sex-specific neuromaturational processes and staging.
Subtle amygdala development abnormalities may underlie particular
vulnerabilities to sub-diagnostic depression and anxiety in teenage
female marijuana users.

Highlights

► Examined amygdala volumes of teen marijuana users and
controls. ► Gender moderates effect of marijuana use and amygdala
morphometry. ► Female marijuana users showed abnormally large right
amygdala volumes. ► Worse depression/anxiety linked to larger right
amygdalas in female users, who reported more internalizing problems.

Keywords

• Adolescence;
• Anxiety;
• Depression;
• Development;
• Gender;
• Marijuana;

Tinha varias fotos que o GR num deixou postar.

vale uma pena dar uma lida.

Quão é credenciado esses medicos num sei...

[Guayamoo]

A pergunta que não quer calar é:

Quais as consequências de se ter uma amígdala cerebral direita com tamanho diferente do "normal"?

[Tchumin]

E pra quem já retirou as amígdalas?

kkkkkkkk Pior que eu já escutei uma dessa em um palestra sobre distúrbios do sono....

[Rike09]

Galera, ninguém tira amigdalas mais!! Amigdalas é e sempre foi o nome de uma parte do cérebro!

Aquelas glandulas que ficam na garganta, antes amigdalas também, agora para a medicina, chamam-se TONSILAS!

A fim de não confundir mesmo.

Retirar as amigdalas é quase uma lobotomia! KKKKKK

Salve!

[BomConheiroX]

Hummmmm ...

Shit!