Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests neuropsychological deficits from cannabis use, with a burgeoning area of preclinical research indicating possible sex-differences. However, few studies have examined how cannabis use may differentially impact neurocognition in male and female cannabis users. As such, we examined potential sex-differences in associations between amount of cannabis use (across several time frames) and neurocognitive performance among young adult regular cannabis users. Consistent with previous studies, more cannabis use was generally associated with poorer episodic memory and decision-making, but not other measures of inhibitory control. However, patterns of results suggested sex-specific dissociations. In particular, more cannabis use was more consistently associated with poorer episodic memory performance in females than males. Conversely, more cannabis use was associated with poorer decision-making performance for males, but not females. These results provide further evidence for residual cannabis-associated neurocognitive deficits and suggest the importance of examining the impact of cannabis on neurocognition separately for males and females.
Highlights
Cannabis use is prevalent among young adults, with rates of use rising in recent years (Johnston, 2012)
We examined sex-differences in the impact of cannabis use on episodic memory and inhibitory control: neurocognitive domains thought to be affected by cannabis use and on which healthy males and females often show differences in performance
In this study we examined relationships between amount of cannabis use and neurocognitive functioning on indices of episodic memory and inhibitory control among a non-treatmentseeking, community-dwelling sample of young adult regular cannabis users who had minimal mental health problems or other drug use
Summary
Cannabis use is prevalent among young adults, with rates of use rising in recent years (Johnston, 2012). Lisdahl and Price (2012) examined how amount of cannabis use may differentially affect neurocognition in male and female cannabis users They found cannabis users had poorer immediate recall and interference inhibition than controls, sex did not moderate these relationships. They employed only one temporal parameter of cannabis use (past year), one measure of inhibitory control, and had a fairly small sample size (n= 10 males, 13 females) that may have made it challenging to detect more subtle effects. We examined how amount of cannabis use during different periods of time (i.e., lifetime, past year, and past month) may be differentially associated with measures of episodic memory and several aspects of inhibitory control in young adult cannabis users.
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