Regular pot smoking can lead to the alteration of person's brain, claims a new study.

The study says people who use marijuana on regularly have smaller-than-usual orbitofrontal cortex, according to study author Francesca Filbey from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas. This part of the brain is the key node in the brain's reward, punishment, motivation, decision-making and addictive behaviors network.

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Filbey said there's an increased connectivity between regions of the brain that rewires itself to cope with the contraction of the frontal lobes.

"The changes in connectivity may be considered a way of compensating for the reduction in volume. This may explain why chronic users appear to be doing fine, even though an important region of their brain is smaller in terms of volume," she explained.

The study looked at the brains of 62 non-marijuana users and 48 regular marijuana users, 27 of who used marijuana but not other drugs.

It revealed marijuana users ingested the drug about three times a day and have been doing it for about 10 years.

Alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex of marijuana users could be taking place as a result of the brain cutting back on its receptors for THC, the main psychoactive agent in the marijuana plant, Filbey said.

The study also suggests marijuana users have significantly lower IQs than those who don't take pot.

It also suggests further study to find out if there's any effects on the brain structures of marijuana users.

TagsMarijuana smoking, pot smoking, mri, drug abuse, Drug addiction