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Adolescent developments in limbic structures and the endogenous cannabinoid system suggest that teenagers may be more vulnerable to the negative consequences of marijuana use. A study examined the relationships between amygdala volume and internalizing symptoms in teenage chronic marijuana users.
Participants were 35 marijuana users and 47 controls between the ages of 16 and 19 years old. Substance use, internalizing like anxiety or depression symptoms and brain scans were collected after 28 days of monitored abstinence. Reliable raters manually traced amygdala and intracranial volumes on high-resolution MRIs.
Female marijuana users had larger right amygdala volumes and more internalizing symptoms than female controls, while male users had similar volumes as male controls. For female controls and males, worse mood or anxiety was linked to smaller right amygdala volume, whereas more internalizing problems was associated with bigger right amygdala in female marijuana users. Subtle amygdala development abnormalities may underlie particular vulnerabilities to sub-diagnostic depression and anxiety in teenage female marijuana users.
