About the speaker:

Dr. Hugh Garavan is a Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Vermont. He received his PhD in Cognitive Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Cornell University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. His research uses structural and functional neuroimaging to study cognitive control and reward processes with a particular interest in how functional changes in these systems may contribute to addiction and related mental health issues. His primary research focus is adolescent neurodevelopment including risk factors for psychopathology and drug use. He is a co-investigator on the IMAGEN project, a longitudinal neuroimaging-genetic study of over 2,000 teens in Europe. He is a site PI and Associate Director of the ABCD study, a longitudinal neuroimaging-genetic study of over 11,000 children in the USA. He is PI on a T32 that focuses on the application of complex systems methodologies to large neuroimaging datasets and is co-founder of the ENIGMA-Addiction working group which is a data pooling endeavor that combines neuroimaging data from thousands of substance users from around the world. He is also site PI and a member of the coordinating core of the Healthy Brain Child Development study, a longitudinal study of over 7,000 pregnant people and their children from birth to age 10.

About the talk:

Leveraging approximately ten years of prospective longitudinal data on 704 participants, we examined the effects of adolescent versus young adult cannabis initiation on cortical thickness development and behavior. Associations between adolescent cannabis use (14-19 years) and cortical thickness change were observed primarily in dorso- and ventrolateral portions of the prefrontal cortex. In contrast, the extent of cannabis initiation during young adulthood (from 19-22 years in those naïve to cannabis up to age 19) showed a quite different pattern of associations. Here, cannabis use levels between 19 and 22 years of age were associated with thickness change in temporal and cortical midline areas including vmPFC. Of note, brain changes related to adolescent use persisted into young adulthood with adolescent use levels correlating with cortical thickness at age 22 even after controlling for cannabis use levels between ages 21 and 22. Further, the adolescent-related effects mediated the association between adolescent cannabis use and past-month cocaine, ecstasy, and cannabis use at age 22.

This presentation is relevant to Clinicians, psychologists, and neuroscientists at an intermediate level. The speaker has reported no conflicts of interest or commercial support for this talk.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the evidence suggesting that cannabis can alter brain development.
• To be aware that any effects of cannabis use may differ depending on ongoing brain maturational processes.
• To be able to critically evaluate the basis for concluding a causal association between cannabis use and brain development.

Continuing Education:

One hour of CE credit is available for attendees who are present for the entire program. We ask that all participants complete the given evaluation form at the conclusion of the program.

The Center for Children and Families at FIU is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center for Children and Families at FIU maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

This free in-person talk has also been approved for up to 1 CEU credit by Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling; and 1 CE credit by Florida Board of Psychology and Florida Office of School Psychology.  

Provider # BAP 50-12872.