Marijuana Use Could Affect Cognition in HIV Patients

Although no associations were found between lifetime cumulative exposure to marijuana and cognitive dysfunction, current marijuana use was associated with one measure of cognitive dysfunction, according to a recent study.

The study included 215 adults with HIV and substance dependence or injection drug use. Using cross-sectional regression analyses, the researchers assessed associations between current marijuana use, current heavy alcohol use, lifetime marijuana use, lifetime alcohol use, duration of heavy alcohol use, and 3 measures of cognitive dysfunction.
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Cognitive dysfunction was assessed using the memory and attention domains of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the 4-item cognitive function scale (CF4) from the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV). In addition, the researchers adjusted analyses for demographics, primary language, depressive symptoms, anxiety, comorbidities, antiretroviral therapy, hepatitis C virus, duration of HIV infection, HIV-viral load, CD4 cell count, lifetime and recent cocaine use, and recent illicit and prescribed opioid use.

While current marijuana use was significantly and negative associated with MOS-HIV CF4 scores, it was not significantly associated with either MoCA scores.

Additionally, lifetime marijuana use and current heavy alcohol and lifetime alcohol use, as well as duration of heavy alcohol use, were not associated with any measure of cognitive dysfunction.

“Current marijuana use was associated with one measure of cognitive dysfunction, but there was not a consistent pattern of association with lifetime marijuana use or alcohol use and measures of cognitive dysfunction,” the researchers concluded. “Understanding the mechanism by which marijuana, with and without alcohol, are associated with worse cognition warrants larger, longer studies with more precise and diverse measurements of cognitive function.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Lorkiewicz SA, Ventura AS, Heeren TC, et al. Lifetime marijuana and alcohol use, and cognitive dysfunction in people with human immunodeficiency virus infection [published online October 23, 2017]. Substance Abuse. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2017.1391925.