October 11, 2019 |
Brain Imaging Shows Promise for Detecting Cannabis Intoxication
From the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Advances in Motion newsletter – 10/2/2019
NEW RESEARCH
New research from the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine’s Dr. A. Eden Evins and Dr. Jodi Gilman et al., has been published in the most recent edition of NeuroImage. The study found that brain imaging (Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy – fNIRS) has the potential to detect active cannabis intoxication. fNIRS was used to detect the level of oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex, which was significantly increased in participants experiencing cannabis intoxication and its effects, as compared to their pre-scans prior to becoming intoxicated. Biomarkers as indicators of cannabis intoxication have yet to be objectively identified in the scientific literature to-date, and this study demonstrates a great deal of potential and direction for future research.
