McClure Erin A, Lydiard Jessica B, Goddard Scott D, Gray Kevin M
Medical University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Charleston, South Carolina.
Am J Addict. 2015 Jan;24(1):47-52. doi: 10.1111/ajad.12171.
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance worldwide, with an estimated 160 million users. Among adolescents, rates of cannabis use are increasing, while the perception of detrimental effects of cannabis use is declining. Difficulty with memory is one of the most frequently noted cognitive deficits associated with cannabis use, but little data exist exploring how well users can identify their own memory deficits, if present.
The current secondary analysis sought to characterize objective verbal and visual memory performance via a neurocognitive battery in cannabis-dependent adolescents enrolled in a pharmacotherapeutic cannabis cessation clinical trial (N = 112) and compare this to a single self-reported item assessing difficulties with memory loss. Exploratory analyses also assessed dose-dependent effects of cannabis on memory performance.
A small portion of the study sample (10%) endorsed a "serious problem" with memory loss. Those participants reporting "no problem" or "serious problem" scored similarly on visual and verbal memory tasks on the neurocognitive battery. Exploratory analyses suggested a potential relationship between days of cannabis use, amount of cannabis used, and gender with memory performance.
This preliminary and exploratory analysis suggests that a sub-set of cannabis users may not accurately perceive difficulties with memory. Further work should test this hypothesis with the use of a control group, comprehensive self-reports of memory problems, and adult populations that may have more years of cannabis use and more severe cognitive deficits.
大麻是全球使用最广泛的非法物质，估计有1.6亿使用者。在青少年中，大麻使用率不断上升，而对使用大麻有害影响的认知却在下降。记忆困难是与使用大麻相关的最常见认知缺陷之一，但关于使用者能否识别自身记忆缺陷（若存在）的数据却很少。
当前的二次分析旨在通过神经认知测试组对参加大麻戒断药物治疗临床试验的大麻依赖青少年（N = 112）的客观言语和视觉记忆表现进行特征描述，并将其与评估记忆丧失困难的单一自我报告项目进行比较。探索性分析还评估了大麻对记忆表现的剂量依赖性影响。
一小部分研究样本（10%）认可记忆丧失存在“严重问题”。那些报告“没有问题”或“严重问题”的参与者在神经认知测试组的视觉和言语记忆任务上得分相似。探索性分析表明，大麻使用天数、大麻使用量和性别与记忆表现之间可能存在关联。
这项初步探索性分析表明，一部分大麻使用者可能无法准确感知记忆方面的困难。进一步的研究应通过使用对照组、全面的记忆问题自我报告以及可能有更多年大麻使用史和更严重认知缺陷的成年人群来验证这一假设。
