DEEP Lab

Marijuana study

Etiology and Consequences of Regular Marijuana Use

(PI: Pardini)

This project addresses previous limitations in the literature by leveraging longitudinal data collected as part of the Pittsburgh Youth Study (PYS), which includes two cohorts of 1,009 males who have been repeatedly assessed from childhood into the mid-30s. The project aims are to:

1) Characterize the developmental course of marijuana use from adolescence into the early 30s;

2) Examine the early risk/protective factors and changing life events that influence changes in marijuana use during adolescence and young adulthood;

3) Document the link between different developmental patterns of marijuana use and adult psychosocial adjustment; and

4) Examine the association between frequent adolescent marijuana use and abnormalities in brain structure and function assess using magnetic resonance imaging in adulthood.