Study: Teen Drinkers Who Smoke Marijuana Suffer Less Brain Damage

California researchers who studied teen brains say that marijuana use may provide some protection against damage caused by binge drinking, HealthDay News reported Aug. 21.

Damage to white matter in the brains of 16- to 19-year-olds who smoked marijuana and binged on alcohol was less severe than among those who only engaged in binge drinking. Researchers from the University of California at San Diego said it was “possible that marijuana may have some neuroprotective properties in mitigating alcohol-related oxidative stress or excitotoxic cell death.”

The study appears in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.