Lifelong Learning: A Population-Based Analysis of the Relationship Between Substance Use and Adolescent Cognitive Development-View Article

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A population-based analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal explores the relationship between substance use and adolescent cognitive development. The study examines the effects of alcohol and cannabis misuse on cognition and investigates four theoretical models that could explain the association: a common underlying vulnerability model, a neuroplasticity model, a neurotoxicity model, and a developmental sensitivity hypothesis. The authors found that both alcohol and cannabis misuse were related to impairments in working memory, perceptual reasoning, and inhibitory control. Cannabis use also showed lasting effects on inhibitory control and working memory, as well as concurrent effects on delayed memory recall and perceptual reasoning. However, alcohol use did not show any lasting effects on cognition. The study concludes that cannabis use has more pronounced effects on cognitive function than alcohol, and advocates for further investment in evidence-based preventive interventions to address substance abuse among adolescents. It suggests that protecting youths from the adverse effects of substance use, particularly cannabis, is important for promoting healthy cognitive development in adolescence.

Keywords

population-based analysis

substance use

adolescent cognitive development

alcohol misuse

cannabis misuse

working memory

perceptual reasoning

inhibitory control

neuroplasticity model

neurotoxicity model