Study shows worrying effect of cannabis on young people’s brains

• A new study reveals that cannabis use worsens declining nerve connectivity in young adults at risk of psychosis, potentially accelerating the development of schizophrenia.
• The McGill University study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, is the first to observe real-time brain changes in an at-risk population.
• Researchers used advanced brain scans to study participants aged 16-30. They found a marked decrease in nerve cell connections in the brains of people at risk of psychosis.
• Cannabis addiction among these people only exacerbated the decrease, they found.
• Researchers are aiming to investigate whether these brain changes – linked to social withdrawal and lack of motivation – can predict psychosis and enable earlier intervention.

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Study reveals what cannabis does to your brain – and the risks it poses to young adults