Cannabis and Cognitive Functioning

This book reviews the cognitive effects of cannabis and presents findings on the consequences of long-term use.

Nadia Solowij (Author)

9780521024808, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 16 March 2006

308 pages, 26 b/w illus. 9 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.456 kg

'… a useful text, providing a comprehensive overview of the research into cannabis from its inception to present day. It provides a through starting point to those interested in the wider reaching sociological aspects of cannabis use.' Adria L. Degia, Medical Sociology

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance in the world, but the question of whether its long-term use can result in lasting and irreparable cognitive impairment remains controversial. This well-argued volume provides an extensive and comprehensive critical review of the literature relevant to cannabis and cognitive functioning, examining the evidence in the light of important recent findings in the pharmacology and neuropsychology of cannabis. Original studies conducted by the author are presented, utilizing one of the most modern and sensitive tools available to assess cognitive functioning - event-related potentials or ERPs. Her conclusion, that long-term cannabis use may produce irreversible impairment in memory, attention and the organization and integration of complex functions, will be of compelling interest to a wide range of clinicians, researchers and policy makers.

Author's acknowledgements
1. Statement of the problem
Part I. A Review of the Literature: 2. Cannabis the drug
3. Acute effects of cannabis on cognitive functioning
4. Evidence for brain damage associated with the long-term use of cannabis
5. Chronic effects of cannabis on cognitive functioning
6. Selective attention and event-related potentials (ERPs)
Part II. Research: 7. An event-related potential study of attentional processes in long-term cannabis users
8. An investigation of the effects of frequency and duration of cannabis use
9. An investigation of the reversibility of cognitive impairment in ex-cannabis users
10. A single case study of cessation of cannabis use
11. Anxiety, psychopathology and the qualitative experience of long-term use of cannabis
12. Summary, synthesis and conclusions
Appendix
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Psychiatry [MMH]