title: Neuropsychological sex differences associated with age of initiated use among young adult cannabis users.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Earlier initiation of cannabis use is associated with poorer neuropsychological functioning across several domains. Given well-documented sex differences in neuromaturation during adolescence, initiation of cannabis use during this time may affect neuropsychological functioning differently for males and females.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the current study, we examined sex differences in the relationship between age of initiated cannabis use and neuropsychological performance after controlling for amount of lifetime cannabis use in 44 male and 25 female young adult cannabis users.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that an earlier age of initiated use was related to poorer episodic memory, especially immediate recall, in females, but not in males. On the other hand, we found that, surprisingly, an earlier age of initiated use was associated with better decision making overall. However, exploratory analyses found sex-specific factors associated with decision making and age of initiated use, specifically that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in females may drive the relationship between an earlier age of initiated use and better decision making. Further, an earlier age of initiated use was associated with less education, a lower IQ, and fewer years of mother's education for females, but more lifetime cannabis use for males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, our findings suggest there are sex differences in the associations between age of initiated cannabis use and neuropsychological functioning. The current study provides preliminary evidence that males and females may have different neuropsychological vulnerabilities that place them at risk for initiating cannabis use and continued cannabis use, highlighting the importance of examining the impact of cannabis on neuropsychological functioning separately for males and females.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Natania A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.forename: Randi Melissa
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Robin J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Mermelstein
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cannabis; Cognition; Marijuana; Sex differences; THC
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