Altered neural associations with cognitive and emotional functions in cannabis dependence.
Cerebral Cortex May 4, 2023 Xinying Wang, Hui Zhou, Yuzheng Hu
Cannabis-dependent individuals show an unusual link between negative emotions and poor cognitive performance, unlike healthy controls. Analyzing resting-state fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project, the authors found opposite brain-behavior associations in the two groups: in healthy controls, better cognitive performance correlated with stronger within-network connectivity and segregation of the cognitive network, but these correlations were reversed in cannabis-dependent individuals. In cannabis-dependent individuals, better cognitive performance correlated with stronger within-network effective connectivity and integration, associations not significant in controls. Effective connectivity within the cognition network also mediated the behavioral coupling between emotional state and cognitive performance. The results suggest disorganization of the cognitive network in cannabis dependence.