Introducing the ASI-NPI project: preliminary analysis of a study exploring the role of cannabis, salience alterations and youth in determining psychotic symptoms severity
Ottone Baccaredda Boy, Giuseppe Pierpaolo Merola, Andrea Patti, Isotta Fascina, Bernardo Bozza, Dario Flaccomio, Marco Faldi, Giulia Pitt, Luca Papini, C. Ricci, Vincenzo Pecoraro, Andrea Ballerini, Valdo Ricca, F. Mauceri, Simone Tavano, Giulio Peroni, Sara Gori, Tiziana Pisano, David B. Cohen, Francesco de Cesaris
Research Square November 20, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3615804/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Adolescent and adult patients from psychiatric and neurologic units |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Psychopathology Salience neuroscience Psychosis Clinical psychology Young adult Developmental psychology |
| Key findings | Adolescents reported more severe psychotic symptoms than adults, but no significant difference in cannabis exposure or aberrant salience was observed between age groups. |
Abstract
Abstract the present paper describes the preliminary results of a study centered on the effect of salience alterations and cannabis use on the intensity of psychotic symptoms in adolescent and adult cohorts. The exploratory analysis focused on cross-sectional scores at psychometric questionnaires of 64 participants allocated to 4 different subgroups. A hierarchical pattern in the psychopathology measures was observed in the adult subgroups, with Psychotic patients scoring higher in several domains than other patients from the Psychiatric and Neurologic Units; in turn, adolescents reported a more severe intensity of psychotic symptoms at the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale subscales (p-value: < 0.05) when compared to adult one, while no significant difference was observed in cannabis exposure or Aberrant Salience Inventory scores (p-value: 0.22). These results suggest that aberrant salience and, to a lesser degree, cannabis use might play a role in determining psychotic symptoms severity, especially in more at-risk life phases. Public Significance Statement : the present study displays how salience alterations in younger patients might lead to intensified psychotic symptoms, while exploring parallel psychopathological domains and explaining the layout of a wider project. The role of cannabis use in this equation is still to be clarified.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis use before age 15 and subsequent executive functioning 104 chronic cannabis users (49 early-onset before age 15, 55 late-onset after age 15)... | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional study | n = 148 |
| Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 149 |
| Persisting Reductions in Cannabis, Opioid, and Stimulant Misuse After Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: An Online Survey Online survey respondents | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study Users of hallucinogenic drugs who completed a web-based questionnaire | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 600 |
| Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner Adults recruited from the MAPS website and newsletter, most reporting use of various... | 2012 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 337 |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003
- From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. Schizophrenia Research November 1, 2005
- Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study BMJ March 1, 2011
- Rates and correlates of cannabis-associated psychotic symptoms in over 230,000 people who use cannabis Translational Psychiatry September 6, 2022
- Validation of the aberrant salience inventory in a general and clinical Spanish population Comprehensive Psychiatry August 18, 2022
and 8 more in the library