Altered resting-state connectivity in adolescent cannabis users.
Catherine Orr, Rowen Morioka, Brendan Behan, Sameer Datwani, Marika Doucet, Jelena Ivanovic, Clare Kelly, Karen Weierstall, Richard Watts, Bobby Smyth, Hugh P Garavan
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse November 2013 DOI: 10.3109/00952990.2013.848213 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Adolescents admitted to a drug-treatment facility for cannabis dependence and age-matched controls |
| Measures | fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Adolescent cannabis dependence was associated with increased low-frequency brain activity and intra-hemispheric connectivity in right-hemisphere regions, alongside reduced interhemispheric connectivity in the cerebellar pyramis and superior frontal gyrus. The authors suggest the elevated connectivity may reflect a compensatory mechanism and that altered intrinsic connectivity may be characteristic of adolescent cannabis dependence. |
Abstract
Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in adolescence. Heavy use is associated with deficits on a broad range of cognitive functions and heavy use during adolescence may impact development of gray and white matter. To examine differences in intrinsic brain activity and connectivity associated with cannabis dependence in adolescence using whole-brain voxelwise approaches. Adolescents admitted to a drug-treatment facility for cannabis dependence (n = 17) and age-matched controls (n = 18) were compared on a measure of oscillations in the low-frequency blood oxygen level-dependent signal at rest (the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations fALFF, 0.01-0.1 Hz) and interhemispheric resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity. The cannabis-dependent population showed increased fALFF activity compared to the control group in right hemisphere regions including the superior parietal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, inferior semilunar lobe of the cerebellum and the inferior temporal gyrus. Post-hoc analyses revealed stronger intra-hemispheric functional connectivity between these functionally defined regions of interest (ROIs) in the cannabis-dependent population than in the controls. Reduced interhemispheric connectivity was observed in the cannabis users compared to controls in the pyramis of the cerebellum and the superior frontal gyrus. Controls showed reduced interhemispheric connectivity compared to users in the supramarginal gyrus. The reduced interhemispheric RSFC in adolescent cannabis users complements previous reports of white matter deficits associated with cannabis use. The evidence of elevated connectivity within the right hemisphere may reflect a compensatory mechanism. Combined, the results suggest that altered intrinsic connectivity may be characteristic of adolescent cannabis dependence.
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 25
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Journal of Psychopharmacology April 23, 2019
- Cannabis-induced altered states of consciousness are associated with specific dynamic brain connectivity states Journal of Psychopharmacology June 3, 2019
- Cannabis, esquizofrenia y cognición, aportes de la conectividad cerebral Adicciones February 6, 2020
- The good, the bad, and the intoxicated 2021
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Cites 9
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- Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers Molecular Psychiatry July 12, 2011
- The influence of recency of use on fMRI response during spatial working memory in adolescent marijuana users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 2010
- Cannabis use and memory brain function in adolescent boys: a cross-sectional multicenter functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry April 14, 2010
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and 4 more in the library