Cannabis use and brain structural alterations of the cingulate cortex in early psychosis.
Charlotte Rapp, Anna Walter, Erich Studerus, Hilal Bugra, Corinne Tamagni, Michel Röthlisberger, Stefan Borgwardt, Jacqueline Aston, Anita Riecher‐rössler
Psychiatry Research November 30, 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.06.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | 23 subjects with first episode psychosis (FEP) and 37 subjects with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) |
| Measures | Basel Interview for Psychosis, manually traced cingulum volume from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Cingulum |
| Key findings | Current cannabis use was associated with lower grey matter volume in the cingulate cortex: a negative effect on posterior cingulum volume independent of hemisphere and diagnostic group, and a negative effect on left anterior cingulum volume independent of diagnostic group. The authors suggest ARMS and FEP subjects may be particularly sensitive to exogenous activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors. |
Abstract
As cannabis use is more frequent in patients with psychosis than in the general population and is known to be a risk factor for psychosis, the question arises whether cannabis contributes to recently detected brain volume reductions in schizophrenic psychoses. This study is the first to investigate how cannabis use is related to the cingulum volume, a brain region involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, in a sample of both at-risk mental state (ARMS) and first episode psychosis (FEP) subjects. A cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of manually traced cingulum in 23 FEP and 37 ARMS subjects was performed. Cannabis use was assessed with the Basel Interview for Psychosis. By using repeated measures analyses of covariance, we investigated whether current cannabis use is associated with the cingulum volume, correcting for age, gender, alcohol consumption, whole brain volume and antipsychotic medication. There was a significant three-way interaction between region (anterior/posterior cingulum), hemisphere (left/right cingulum) and cannabis use (yes/no). Post-hoc analyses revealed that this was due to a significant negative effect of cannabis use on the volume of the posterior cingulum which was independent of the hemisphere and diagnostic group and all other covariates we controlled for. In the anterior cingulum, we found a significant negative effect only for the left hemisphere, which was again independent of the diagnostic group. Overall, we found negative associations of current cannabis use with grey matter volume of the cingulate cortex, a region rich in cannabinoid CB1 receptors. As this finding has not been consistently found in healthy controls, it might suggest that both ARMS and FEP subjects are particularly sensitive to exogenous activation of these receptors.
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
Cites 8
- Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Psychological Medicine July 23, 2009
- Cannabis, motivation, and life satisfaction in an internet sample Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy January 12, 2006
- Impact of cannabis use on thalamic volume in people at familial high risk of schizophrenia The British Journal of Psychiatry September 9, 2011
- An evidence based review of acute and long-term effects of cannabis use on executive cognitive functions. Journal of Addiction Medicine March 2011
- Structural MRI findings in long-term cannabis users: what do we know? Substance Use & Misuse September 2010
and 3 more in the library