Efectos neuropsicológicos del consumo de cannabis

Abstract

Cannabis abuse is associated with motivational and cognitive deficits, as well as with a higher risk to develop psychopathologies, including addiction and schizophrenia. In this review we discuss current neuroscientific findings on the neuroadaptive effects of cannabis use, its impact on learning and judgment processes, and the links between deficits in these core basic processes and complex psychopathological symptoms. The acute effects of cannabis on brain functioning induce hyperactivation of hippocampal regions during memory encoding and alterations in the striatal gradient of activation during memory recollection. Neuroimaging studies in chronic users of cannabis have observed volumetric reductions in the hippocampus, and metabolic hypoactivations in medial and lateral prefrontal cortices. These neuroadaptations are associated with neuropsychological deficits in learning, memory, cognitive control and decision-making, and correlate with the intensity of the psychotic symptoms experienced by users. The functional links between the brain regions and neuropsychological mechanisms impacted by cannabis use point to a dysregulation of the prefrontal-hippocampal-striatal systems controlling the cognitive input of judgment and forecasting processes.