Impact of cannabis use on thalamic volume in people at familial high risk of schizophrenia
Killian A. Welch, Andrew C. Stanfield, Andrew Mark McIntosh, Heather Clare Whalley, Dominic E. Job, T. William J. Moorhead, David G. C. Owens, Stephen M. Lawrie, Eve C. Johnstone
The British Journal of Psychiatry September 9, 2011 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.110.090175 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 57 |
| Population | Individuals at high genetic risk of schizophrenia participating in the Edinburgh High-Risk Study |
| Intervention | Cannabis |
| Duration | Approximately 2 years |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Citations | 43 |
| Key findings | Cannabis exposure was associated with bilateral thalamic volume loss over approximately two years in individuals at high familial risk of schizophrenia. The effect was significant on the left (F = 4.47, P = 0.04) and highly significant on the right (F = 7.66, P = 0.008), and remained significant after excluding users of other illicit drugs. The authors propose this may be important for understanding the link between cannabis and schizophrenia. |
Abstract
Background: No longitudinal study has yet examined the association between substance use and brain volume changes in a population at high risk of schizophrenia.
Aims: To examine the effects of cannabis on longitudinal thalamus and amygdala-hippocampal complex volumes within a population at high risk of schizophrenia.
Method: Magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from individuals at high genetic risk of schizophrenia at the point of entry to the Edinburgh High-Risk Study (EHRS) and approximately 2 years later. Differential thalamic and amygdala-hippocampal complex volume change in high-risk individuals exposed (n = 25) and not exposed (n = 32) to cannabis in the intervening period was investigated using repeated-measures analysis of variance.
Results: Cannabis exposure was associated with bilateral thalamic volume loss. This effect was significant on the left (F = 4.47, P = 0.04) and highly significant on the right (F= 7.66, P= 0.008). These results remained significant when individuals using other illicit drugs were removed from the analysis.
Conclusions: These are the first longitudinal data to demonstrate an association between thalamic volume loss and exposure to cannabis in currently unaffected people at familial high risk of developing schizophrenia. This observation may be important in understanding the link between cannabis exposure and the subsequent development of schizophrenia.
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 9
- Cannabis as a precursor of psychosis and its relationship with schizophrenia Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología February 19, 2023
- Cannabis and Psychosis. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America October 1, 2022
- Systematic review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of cannabis use in adolescence and emerging adulthood: evidence from 90 studies and 9441 participants. Neuropsychopharmacology April 2022
- The Link Between Cannabis Use and Violent Behavior in the Early Phase of Psychosis: The Potential Role of Impulsivity Frontiers in Psychiatry March 22, 2022
- Cannabis, Cigarettes, and Their Co-Occurring Use: Disentangling Differences in Gray Matter Volume. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology June 4, 2015
and 4 more in the library
Cites 4
- Causal association between cannabis and psychosis: examination of the evidence The British Journal of Psychiatry January 30, 2004
- Effects of cannabis use on outcomes of psychotic disorders: systematic review The British Journal of Psychiatry October 31, 2008
- Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Psychological Medicine July 23, 2009
- Effects of smoking marijuana on brain perfusion and cognition. Neuropsychopharmacology June 2002