People with cannabis use disorder showed altered white matter connectivity, particularly between parietal cortex and several cortical and subcortical regions.
Neuroscientists, addiction researchers, and clinicians interested in the neurological basis of cannabis use disorder.
9 brain connections showed increased connectivity in CUD; cingulum and cerebellum showed decreased density
What the researchers found
Compared to 38 healthy controls, 56 individuals with CUD had significantly increased structural connectivity across 9 brain connections involving the right parietal cortex and regions including left orbitofrontal cortex, temporal pole, hippocampus, and putamen. White matter density was higher in the corpus callosum but lower in the bilateral cingulum and right cerebellum.
Why it matters
Understanding how cannabis use disorder affects brain wiring could help identify early markers of the condition and inform treatment approaches.
The numbers in context
56 CUD participants vs. 38 controls. 9 edges showed increased connectivity (FDR corrected). White matter density higher in corpus callosum splenium, lower in bilateral cingulum and right cerebellum (FWE corrected).
How the study worked
MRI-based study comparing 56 individuals with CUD (median age 25) to 38 healthy controls (median age 31.5) using structural connectome analysis and fixel-based analysis (FBA).
What this study cannot tell us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine whether white matter changes precede or follow cannabis use disorder. Age difference between groups could confound results. Relatively small sample sizes.
How to read the evidence
Advanced neuroimaging methods with statistical correction, but cross-sectional design and age mismatch between groups limit causal inference.
When this study was published
Published in 2024.
The bigger picture
Increased connectivity in some areas alongside decreased density in others suggests CUD involves complex reorganization of brain wiring rather than simple deterioration.
Questions still open
- Do these white matter changes reverse after sustained abstinence?
- Does the age at which regular cannabis use begins determine the pattern of white matter alterations?
Common questions
Does cannabis use disorder change brain structure?
Are these brain changes permanent?
Read the original research
White matter alterations associated with chronic cannabis use disorder: a structural network and fixel-based analysis.
Translational psychiatry, 14(1), 429
Citation
Maleki, Suzan; Hendrikse, Joshua; Richardson, Karyn; Segrave, Rebecca A; Hughes, Sam; Kayayan, Edouard; Oldham, Stuart; Syeda, Warda; Coxon, James P; Caeyenberghs, Karen; Domínguez D, Juan F; Solowij, Nadia; Lubman, Dan I; Suo, Chao; Yücel, Murat. (2024). White matter alterations associated with chronic cannabis use disorder: a structural network and fixel-based analysis.. Translational psychiatry, 14(1), 429. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-03150-0
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