Cannabis Use, Schizotypy and Kamin Blocking Performance
Christopher Dawes, Andrea Bickerdike, Cian O’Neill, Sarah Carneiro Pereira, John L. Waddington, Paula M. Moran, Colm O’Tuathaigh
Frontiers in Psychiatry November 23, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.633476 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 307 |
| Population | Healthy participants with no previous psychiatric or neurological history |
| Measures | Kamin blocking (mouse in the house task), Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI), modified Cannabis Experience Questionnaire (CEQm) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Schizotypy Psychosis Salience neuroscience Clinical psychology Associative learning Schizotypal personality disorder Developmental psychology Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Neither lifetime nor current cannabis use was associated with significant changes in Kamin blocking scores. Current cannabis use was associated with higher Disorganised SPQ dimension scores and higher ASI total and subscale values. A modest positive association was found between total KB score and Disorganised SPQ dimension scores, but no relationships with other SPQ measures. Higher Senses Sharpening ASI subscale scores predicted decreased KB only in participants without recent cannabis use. |
Abstract
Cannabis use has been associated with increased risk for a first episode of psychosis and inappropriate assignment of salience to extraneous stimuli has been proposed as a mechanism underlying this association. Psychosis-prone (especially schizotypal) personality traits are associated with deficits in associative learning tasks that measure salience allocation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between history of cannabis use and Kamin blocking (KB), a form of selective associative learning, in a non-clinical sample. Additionally, KB was examined in relation to self-reported schizotypy and aberrant salience scale profiles. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 307 healthy participants with no previous psychiatric or neurological history. Participants were recruited and tested using the Testable Minds behavioural testing platform. KB was calculated using Oades' “mouse in the house task”, performance of which is disrupted in schizophrenia patients. Schizotypy was measured using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) was used to assess self-reported unusual or inappropriate salience. The modified Cannabis Experience Questionnaire (CEQm) was used to collect detailed history of use of cannabis and other recreational drugs. Regression models and Bayesian t -tests or ANOVA (or non-parametric equivalents) examined differences in KB based on lifetime or current cannabis use (frequent use during previous year), as well as frequency of use among those who had previously used cannabis. Neither lifetime nor current cannabis use was associated with any significant change in total or trial-specific KB scores. Current cannabis use was associated with higher Disorganised SPQ dimension scores and higher total and sub-scale values for the ASI. A modest positive association was observed between total KB score and Disorganised SPQ dimension scores, but no relationships were found between KB and other SPQ measures. Higher scores on “Senses Sharpening” ASI sub-scale predicted decreased KB score only in participants who have not engaged in recent cannabis use. These results are discussed in the context of our understanding of the effects of long-term cannabis exposure on salience attribution, as well as inconsistencies in the literature with respect to both the relationship between KB and schizotypy and the measurement of KB associative learning phenomena.
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
Cited by 2
Cites 12
- Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003
- High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis The British Journal of Psychiatry November 30, 2009
- From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. Schizophrenia Research November 1, 2005
- Acute and chronic effects of cannabinoids on effort-related decision-making and reward learning: an evaluation of the cannabis ‘amotivational’ hypotheses Psychopharmacology September 2, 2016
- Does cannabis use predict psychometric schizotypy via aberrant salience? Schizophrenia Research April 6, 2020
and 7 more in the library