Starting marijua before age 16 may hinder brain development

New York, Feb 11: While starting marijua at the age of 16 or younger may hinder brain development, using marijua after age 16 can lead to accelerated brain ageing, warns a new study. The findings suggest that the age at which an adolescent begins using marijua may affect typical brain development. “Science has shown us that changes in the brain occurring during adolescence are complex. Our findings suggest that the timing of canbis use can result in very disparate patterns of effects,” explained principal investigator Francesca Filbey from The University of Texas at Dallas, US. The research team alysed MRI (magnetic resonce imaging) scans of 42 heavy marijua users — twenty participants were categorised as early onset users with a mean age of 13.18 and 22 were labelled as late onset users with a mean age of 16.9. According to self-reports, all participants, aged 21-50, began using marijua during adolescence and continued throughout adulthood, using canbis at least one time per week. (IANS)