A Population-Based Analysis of the Relationship Between Substance Use and Adolescent Cognitive Development

Objective:Alcohol and cannabis misuse are related to impaired cognition. When inferring causality, four nonexclusive theoretical models can account for this association: 1) a common underlying vulnerability model; 2) a neuroplasticity model in which impairment is concurrent with changes in substance use but temporary because of neuroplastic brain processes that restore function; 3) a neurotoxicity model of long-term impairment consequential to substance use; and 4) a developmental sensitivity hypothesis of age-specific effects. Using a developmentally sensitive design, the authors investigated relationships between year-to-year changes in substance use and cognitive development.Method:A population-based sample of 3,826 seventh-grade students from 31 schools consisting of 5% of all students entering high school in 2012 and 2013 in the Greater Montreal region were assessed annually for 4 years on alcohol and cannabis use, recall memory, perceptual reasoning, inhibition, and working memory, using school-base...