Amygdala Volumes & Depressive Symptoms Between Marijuana Users and Controls
Mentor 1
Krista Lisdahl
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
28-4-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
28-4-2017 4:00 PM
Description
Marijuana is the most commonly used drug, after alcohol, with 35.6% of 12th graders using in the past year (Johnston et al., 2016). Marijuana has many effects on both the brain and body. The amygdalaisa structure that processes emotional memory and fear; previous studies have found volumetric abnormalities in the right amygdala of marijuana users (Gilman et al., 2014).McQueenyand colleagues(2011)found that female MJ users had larger right amygdala volumes andincreaseddepressivesymptoms when compared to controls.This is consistent with Hastings and colleagues (2004), who found reduced amygdala volumes in depressed patients, especially females.Thecurrent studyexaminedwhether marijuana group statusredicteddifferences in amygdala volumes. Data was collected from MJ users (n=23) and controls (n=45) between the ages of 16 and 25. Participants completedneuropsychologicaltests and self-report questionnaires, such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).Brain MRIs were collected and processed utilizedFreeSurfer. MJ users did not demonstrate differences in their amygdala volumes (p>.05).However, in MJ users, there is a marginal relationship between increased depressive symptoms and increased right amygdala volumes,r(66) = .38, p .05. The brain behavior relationship between the right amygdala and depressive symptomswassignificantly different between MJ users and controls, z= 2.07, p.0385.Therefore, abnormal amygdala brain behavior relationships were observed in the MJ users, suggesting that MJ users with increased depressive symptoms may be more likely to show amygdala morphometry increases. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the causal relationships.
Amygdala Volumes & Depressive Symptoms Between Marijuana Users and Controls
Union Wisconsin Room
Marijuana is the most commonly used drug, after alcohol, with 35.6% of 12th graders using in the past year (Johnston et al., 2016). Marijuana has many effects on both the brain and body. The amygdalaisa structure that processes emotional memory and fear; previous studies have found volumetric abnormalities in the right amygdala of marijuana users (Gilman et al., 2014).McQueenyand colleagues(2011)found that female MJ users had larger right amygdala volumes andincreaseddepressivesymptoms when compared to controls.This is consistent with Hastings and colleagues (2004), who found reduced amygdala volumes in depressed patients, especially females.Thecurrent studyexaminedwhether marijuana group statusredicteddifferences in amygdala volumes. Data was collected from MJ users (n=23) and controls (n=45) between the ages of 16 and 25. Participants completedneuropsychologicaltests and self-report questionnaires, such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).Brain MRIs were collected and processed utilizedFreeSurfer. MJ users did not demonstrate differences in their amygdala volumes (p>.05).However, in MJ users, there is a marginal relationship between increased depressive symptoms and increased right amygdala volumes,r(66) = .38, p .05. The brain behavior relationship between the right amygdala and depressive symptomswassignificantly different between MJ users and controls, z= 2.07, p.0385.Therefore, abnormal amygdala brain behavior relationships were observed in the MJ users, suggesting that MJ users with increased depressive symptoms may be more likely to show amygdala morphometry increases. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the causal relationships.
