According to a study report published in Medical Xpress, chronic alcohol and marijuana consumption during one's younger years leads to neural structure, function, and metabolism.
Joanna Jacobus, postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego as well as, corresponding author for the study said the brain shows differences among teens who regularly consume alcohol and marijuana compared to the ones who use it minimum and rarely.
"Alcohol and marijuana may have a negative impact by altering important cellular communication in the brain, preventing development of new healthy cells, and/or causing inflammation, which can adversely impact healthy brain development in many ways. For example, the results can lead to changes in brain structure such as volume, and function such as activity," Jacobus said, according to Medical Xpress.
White Matter is a part of the brain that consists of "myelinated axons." These areas appear to be white in color hence follows by the name.
"However, prior research has not clearly demonstrated that this white matter disorganization is caused by alcohol or marijuana use," Jacobus said. "In some studies where adolescents are studied only once, white matter disorganization may have been present prior to alcohol or marijuana use."
Jacobus said that youth indulge in alcohol and marijuana at early stages of life when the brain is yet to developed completely.
"Brain connections important for inhibiting risky behaviors are still forming, and some youth are more likely to choose immediate effects, such as alcohol or marijuana use, over long-term benefits," she said.
"Maturation of the brain during adolescence is thought to be the foundation for self-control. The developing adolescent brain, compared to the fully developed adult brain, is also probably more vulnerable to alcohol neurotoxicity. Adolescents are vulnerable to loss of control and, when this loss of control involves substance use, excessive or risky substance use can have adverse consequences."
Researchers tracked 92 adolescents aged from 16 to 20 years old, with 63 males and 29 females and segregated into two groups. Forty-one adolescents with excessive use of alcohol and marijuana and 51 with minimum substance use were a part of the study. These participants were a part of this study for 18 months and both the groups received diffusion tensor imaging and detailed substance use assessments, along with toxicology screening.
"We found evidence for poorer white matter tissue health in teens who engage in heavy alcohol and marijuana use compared to those who abstain," said Jacobus.
White matter helped in quick and efficient communication between brain regions. Whereas compromised white matter lead to slower cognitive processing and poor memory, lack of interest and hesitance in decision making, says a report in Medical Xpress.
"Our findings underscore that early initiation of alcohol and marijuana use can have negative implications on the brain" said Jacobus in the report. "We hope this information can be communicated to teens to help them understand why drinking during adolescence is discouraged. In the future, biomarkers such as tissue health may help identify teens that are particularly vulnerable for engaging in riskier behaviors such as drinking."
