Psychosis and cannabis use linked, but is dopamine involved?
Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly June 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/adaw.34541 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | The authors report observing a possible link between elevated dopamine function, cannabis use, and schizophrenia in a small MRI study. They note that cannabis use and dopamine are each associated with psychosis, but that whether dopamine underlies the cannabis-psychosis relationship remains unclear. |
Abstract
In a small study, researchers observed a possible link based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between elevated dopamine function, cannabis use, and schizophrenia. It is known that cannabis use is linked to psychosis, and dopamine is linked to psychosis, but whether there is a dopamine link is unclear.