Associations between Adolescent Cannabis Use and Brain Structure in Psychosis
H. Abush, S. Ghose, Erin van Enkevort, Brett Clementz, Godfrey D Pearlson, John A. Sweeney, Matcheri S Keshavan, Carol A. Tamminga, Elena Ivleva
Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging March 28, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.03.008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 109 |
| Population | Individuals with psychotic disorders (schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder), stratified by history of adolescent cannabis use, and healthy controls |
| Measures | Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Psychosis patients with a history of adolescent cannabis use showed less pronounced gray matter density reductions than non-users, especially in schizophrenia, where GMD in users did not differ from healthy controls without cannabis use. The authors indicate that adolescent cannabis use is associated with attenuated GMD abnormalities in psychotic individuals. |
Abstract
Associations between cannabis use and psychotic disorders suggest that cannabis may be a contributory risk factor in the neurobiology of psychosis. In this study, we examined brain structure characteristics, total and regional gray matter density (GMD), using Voxel Based Morphometry, in psychotic individuals, stratified by history of cannabis use (total n=109). We also contrasted GMD estimates in individual diagnostic groups (schizophrenia/bipolar I disorder) with and without history of adolescent cannabis use (ACU). Individuals with psychosis as a whole, both with and without history of ACU, had lower total and regional GMD, compared to healthy controls. ACU was associated with attenuated GMD reductions, compared to non-users, especially in the schizophrenia cases, who showed robust GMD reductions in fronto-temporal and parietal cortex, as well as subcortical regions. Notably, total and regional GMD estimates in individuals with psychosis and ACU were not different from controls with no ACU. These data indicate that the history of ACU in psychotic individuals is associated with attenuated GMD abnormalities. Future investigations targeting potential unique etiological and risk factors associated with psychosis in individuals with ACU may help in understanding of the neurobiology of psychotic disorders and novel treatment options for these individuals.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked Cannabis' Psychomotor and Neurocognitive Effects in Occasional and Frequent Smokers Occasional (<2x/week) and frequent (≥4x/week) cannabis smokers | 2015 | Controlled within-subjects study | n = 25 |
| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users | 2018 | Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) | n = 410 |
| Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers | 2018 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... | 2019 | Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation | n = 40 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Associations Between Cannabis, Psychosis, and Schizophrenia in Adolescents Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research 2022
- The Relationship between Cannabis Use and Cognition in People with Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Scoping Review medRxiv April 29, 2020
- Disruption of Reelin signaling in a dual-hit mouse model of schizophrenia: impact of postnatal Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure in a maternal immune activation model Translational Psychiatry July 16, 2026
- Cannabis and Psychosis. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America October 1, 2022
- Consensus paper of the WFSBP task force on cannabis, cannabinoids and psychosis The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry March 22, 2022
Cites 14
- The Impact of Cannabis Use on Cognitive Functioning in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis of Existing Findings and New Data in a First-Episode Sample Schizophrenia Bulletin July 25, 2010
- The Effect of Cannabis Use and Cognitive Reserve on Age at Onset and Psychosis Outcomes in First-Episode Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Bulletin March 9, 2011
- Association Between Cannabis and Psychosis: Epidemiologic Evidence. Biological Psychiatry April 1, 2016
- Cortical thickness in adolescent marijuana and alcohol users: A three-year prospective study from adolescence to young adulthood. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience December 2015
- Preliminary findings demonstrating latent effects of early adolescent marijuana use onset on cortical architecture. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience December 2015
and 9 more in the library