Adolescent Cannabis Use, Psychosis and Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Genotype in African Americans and Caucasians
Joshua T. Kantrowitz, K. Nolan, Srijan Sen, A. Simen, H. Lachman, M. Bowers
Psychiatric Quarterly July 25, 2009 DOI: 10.1007/s11126-009-9108-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Psychotic patients with and without adolescent cannabis use and affective symptoms, analyzed separately for Caucasians and African Americans |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | The authors report that the two subject groups did not differ with respect to the prevalence of adolescent cannabis abuse or the presence of affective symptoms. They conclude that further study is needed, with non-psychotic controls and larger samples. |
Abstract
Cannabis has been reported as a likely risk factor for the development of psychosis, and a gene × environment interaction with the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been proposed. Moreover, COMT has been separately linked to affective symptoms in psychosis. Despite a high rate of cannabis abuse and affective symptoms in African Americans, no studies exploring a relationship between COMT and psychosis in this group have been reported. An existing database of psychotic patients with and without adolescent cannabis use/affective symptoms was examined, and chi-square analyses for independence were applied separately for both Caucasians and African-Americans to examine genotype associations with adolescent cannabis use and affective symptoms (past or present). The two subject groups did not differ with respect to the prevalence of adolescent cannabis abuse or presence of affective symptoms. Further study is needed, with non-psychotic controls and larger samples.
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 10
- Gone to Pot – A Review of the Association between Cannabis and Psychosis Frontiers in Psychiatry May 22, 2014
- Human Laboratory Studies on Cannabinoids and Psychosis. Biological Psychiatry April 1, 2016
- Acute effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on resting state connectivity networks and impact of COMT genotype: A multi-site pharmacological fMRI study Drug and Alcohol Dependence August 11, 2023
- Cannabis Use and Age-Related Acceleration of Psychosis Onset: A Meta-Analysis. Biological Psychiatry August 1, 2026
- Cannabis use in Adolescence and Risk of Psychosis: Are there Factors that Moderate this Relationship? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Substance Abuse February 22, 2021
and 5 more in the library