Association between age of cannabis initiation and gray matter covariance networks in recent onset psychosis
Nora Penzel, Linda A. Antonucci, Linda T. Betz, Rachele Sanfelici, Johanna Weiske, Oliver Pogarell, Paul Cumming, Boris B. Quednow, Oliver Howes, Peter Falkai, Rachel Upthegrove, Alessandro Bertolino, Stefan Borgwardt, Paolo Brambilla, Rebekka Lencer, Eva Meisenzahl, Marlene Rosen, Theresa Haidl, Lana Kambeitz‐Ilankovic, Stephan Ruhrmann, Raimo K. R. Salokangas, Christos Pantelis, Stephen J. Wood, Nikolaos Koutsouleris, Joseph P. Kambeitz, Mark Sen Dong, Anne Erkens, Eva Gussmann, Shalaila S. Haas, Alkomiet Hasan, Claudius Hoff, Ifrah Khanyaree, Aylin Melo, Susanna Muckenhuber-Sternbauer, Janis Köhler, Ömer Öztürk, David Popovic, Adrian Rangnick, Sebastian von Saldern, Moritz Spangemacher, Ana Tupac, María Fernanda Urquijo, Antonia Wosgien, Karsten Blume, Mauro Seves, Nathalie Kaiser, Tanja Pilgram, Theresa Lichtenstein, Julian Wenzel, Christiane Woopen, Christina Andreou, Laura Egloff, Fabienne Harrisberger, Claudia Lenz, Letizia Leanza, Amatya Mackintosh, Renata Smieskova, Erich Studerus, Anna Walter, Sonja Widmayer, Katharine Chisholm, Chris Day, Siân Lowri Griffiths, Mariam Iqbal, Mirabel Pelton, Pavan Mallikarjun, Alexandra Stainton, Ashleigh Lin, Alexander Denissoff, Anu Ellilä, Tiina From, Markus Heinimaa, Tuula Ilonen, Päivi Jalo, Heikki Laurikainen, Maarit Lehtinen, Antti Luutonen, Akseli Mäkela, Janina Paju, Henri Pesonen, Reetta-Liina Armio, Elina Sormunen, Anna Toivonen, Otto Turtonen, Ana Beatriz Solana, Manuela Abraham
Neuropsychopharmacology March 3, 2021 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-00977-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 102 |
| Population | Clinically-relevant cannabis users with recent onset psychosis |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Psychosis Schizophrenia object-oriented programming Confounding Age of onset Effects of cannabis Cannabis dependence Neuroimaging Disease |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key findings | Earlier cannabis initiation was associated with more severe positive symptoms and greater gray matter volume in a cerebellar schizophrenia-related network, independent of several confounding factors. |
Abstract
Cannabis use during adolescence is associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis. According to a current hypothesis, this results from detrimental effects of early cannabis use on brain maturation during this vulnerable period. However, studies investigating the interaction between early cannabis use and brain structural alterations hitherto reported inconclusive findings. We investigated effects of age of cannabis initiation on psychosis using data from the multicentric Personalized Prognostic Tools for Early Psychosis Management (PRONIA) and the Cannabis Induced Psychosis (CIP) studies, yielding a total sample of 102 clinically-relevant cannabis users with recent onset psychosis. GM covariance underlies shared maturational processes. Therefore, we performed source-based morphometry analysis with spatial constraints on structural brain networks showing significant alterations in schizophrenia in a previous multisite study, thus testing associations of these networks with the age of cannabis initiation and with confounding factors. Earlier cannabis initiation was associated with more severe positive symptoms in our cohort. Greater gray matter volume (GMV) in the previously identified cerebellar schizophrenia-related network had a significant association with early cannabis use, independent of several possibly confounding factors. Moreover, GMV in the cerebellar network was associated with lower volume in another network previously associated with schizophrenia, comprising the insula, superior temporal, and inferior frontal gyrus. These findings are in line with previous investigations in healthy cannabis users, and suggest that early initiation of cannabis perturbs the developmental trajectory of certain structural brain networks in a manner imparting risk for psychosis later in life.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population | 2009 | Case-control study | n = 454 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people | 2000 | Observational | |
| Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 1,923 |
| Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 535 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Exploration of cannabis use and polygenic risk scores on the psychotic symptom progression of a FEP cohort Psychiatry Research May 8, 2023
- Cannabis use and psychosis among patients hospitalized in psychiatric wards in Lebanon: a retrospective chart review Middle East Current Psychiatry November 13, 2023
- Occasional cannabis use is associated with higher premorbid functioning and IQ in youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis: Parallel findings to psychosis cohorts Schizophrenia Research July 30, 2024
- Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Cannabis Use-Related Adverse Psychosis Outcomes: A Public Mental Health-Oriented Evidence Review Journal of dual diagnosis July 3, 2023
Cites 6
- Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Cerebral Cortex April 9, 2008
- Grey Matter Volume Differences Associated with Extremely Low Levels of Cannabis Use in Adolescence Journal of Neuroscience January 14, 2019
- The effects of cannabis on memory function in users with and without a psychotic disorder: findings from a combined meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine January 2016
- Adolescent Initiation of Cannabis use and Early-Onset Psychosis Substance Abuse October 1, 2015
- Structural MRI findings in long-term cannabis users: what do we know? Substance Use & Misuse September 2010
and 1 more in the library