Latest news with #JAMAOpenNetwork
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Heavy cannabis use could pose this threat to the brain
As cannabis is legalized in more states across the country, new research points to the negative side effects of partaking too much. Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus looked into the impact of recent and lifetime cannabis use on brain function during cognitive tasks. The study, published in the journal JAMA Open Network, is the "largest of its kind," according to the university, using brain imaging technology to examine the effects of cannabis use on 1,000 young adults from 22 to 36 years old. Daily Marijuana Smokers Face Higher Risk Of Heart Attack, Stroke, Says American Heart Association Study The cannabis users were tested on their "working memory," which is the ability to retain and use information to perform tasks, like solving a math problem. Neural response was measured through seven cognitive tests – probing working memory, reward, emotion, language and motor skills – such as "tapping a finger to map brain control, relational assessment and theory of mind." Read On The Fox News App The results showed that 63% of heavy lifetime cannabis users demonstrated reduced brain activity while completing a working memory task. Meanwhile, 68% of recent cannabis users exhibited a similar impact. Older Americans Turn To Marijuana For Better Sleep And Pain Relief: Here's What To Know The researchers concluded that cannabis had a "statistically significant effect" on brain function during working memory tasks, but was less significant in other tasks. There was reduced brain activity in areas involved in important cognitive functions like decision-making, memory, attention and emotional processing. Lead study author Joshua Gowin, PhD, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, stressed the importance of studying the effects of cannabis on health as it continues to "grow globally." "By doing so, we can provide a well-rounded understanding of both the benefits and risks of cannabis use, empowering people to make informed decisions and fully comprehend the potential consequences," he said in a press release. Marijuana Use Linked To Increased Asthma Risk In Youth, Study Says: 'Worrisome' Health Implications Refraining from cannabis use before a cognitive task could help improve performance, according to Gowin and his team. "People need to be aware of their relationship with cannabis, since abstaining cold turkey could disrupt their cognition as well," Gowin said. "For example, heavy users may need to be more cautious." "There are a lot of questions … regarding how cannabis impacts the brain," he went on. "Large, long-term studies are needed to understand whether cannabis use directly changes brain function, how long these effects last and the impact on different age groups." Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Saphier, MD, pointed out that the overall study sample size is large, but that only about 8% of participants were reported as "heavy" users. "While the study appears to be designed well … I'd like to see a larger sample size of heavy users compared to either moderate or non-users to draw any definitive data," the doctor, who was not involved in the study, shared with Fox News Digital. For more Health articles, visit Saphier, founder of Coaxial Neurosurgical Specialists in New Jersey, noted that he is "not surprised" by the study findings. "Heavy use of cannabis over one's lifetime may ultimately lead to decreased cognitive/memory tasks," he confirmed. "This also supports a relatively common and well-articulated lifestyle mantra of 'everything in moderation,' with the obvious exceptions of in-arguably deleterious activities/lifestyle choices." The neurosurgeon added that he looks forward to a "more well-rounded and higher enrollment study of heavy and moderate users, so I can offer more definitive data to my own patients."Original article source: Heavy cannabis use could pose this threat to the brain
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mass Shootings in the US Fast Facts
A dangerous pace of mass shootings escalated in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and has persisted since then. Last year, the United States recorded 515 mass shootings, the lowest total in a year since 2019, before the pandemic began. 2021 remains the worst year for mass shootings in the US since GVA began tracking them in 2013, with 689 across 44 states and Washington, DC. GVA data shows mass shootings increased after May 2020, compared with trends in previous years. Shootings doubled in July 2020 compared with the year before, as researchers noted in the journal JAMA Open Network in analyzing GVA data between April 2020 and July 2021. The increase in mass shootings coincided with an overall rise in gun violence during the pandemic. The US firearm homicide rate in 2020 was the highest recorded since 1994, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2019 and 2020, the overall firearm homicide rate increased about 35%, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CNN reports mass shootings based on data from the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that tracks gun violence in the United States. CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as one that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter. The number of mass shootings and casualties is not exact and subject to change as reports from law enforcement, media and other sources GVA relies upon are updated and verified. These charts include US mass shootings to date that fall under this definition and are updated as soon as new data is available from GVA. Data may lag behind breaking news reporting. —CNN's Jacqueline Howard and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report
