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.
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 |