BACKGROUND: The Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) is the time between the first-episode psychosis (FEP) and the initiation of antipsychotic treatment. It is an important predictor of several disease-related outcomes in psychotic disorders. The aim of this manuscript is investigating the influence of cannabis on the DUP and its clinical correlates. METHODS: During years 2014-2019, sixty-two...
Cannabis use has been associated with increased risk for a first episode of psychosis and inappropriate assignment of salience to extraneous stimuli has been proposed as a mechanism underlying this association. Psychosis-prone (especially schizotypal) personality traits are associated with deficits in associative learning tasks that measure salience allocation. The aim of this study was to...
Heavy cannabis use (HCU) is frequently associated with a plethora of cognitive, psychopathological and sensorimotor phenomena. Although HCU is frequent, specific patterns of abnormal brain structure and function underlying HCU in individuals presenting without cannabis-use disorder or other current and life-time major mental disorders are unclear at present. This multimodal magnetic resonance...
Western democracies continue to 'legalize recreational cannabis use' after its 'medicinal approval', while India continues to debate whether to 'decriminalize' cannabis or not. One of the strongest arguments against cannabis decriminalization is cannabis dependence and the risk of psychosis, at-least in the vulnerable groups. Endocannabinoids are involved in neuronal proliferation and...
Research interest in the therapeutic use of psilocybin, or "magic mushrooms," is growing alongside a "wild west" of dispensaries in Canada and the United States. The past decade has seen a revival of research exploring the clinical use of psychedelics in treating depression, addiction,
Cannabis exposure during adolescence is associated with emotional and motivational alterations that may entail an enhanced risk of developing psychiatric disorders. In rodent models, exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence leads to increased self-administration of opiates and cocaine, however, the psychological and neural mechanisms and the sex-specificity of this phenomenon are largely...
ABSTRACT Background Youth in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) programs have high rates of cannabis use and consumption is associated with negative treatment outcomes. Motivations for use in this group are under-studied and investigating reasons for use can aid in the development of engagement strategies. Methods This scoping review uses the framework proposed by Arksey & O’Malley and PRISMA ScR to...
HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is commonly observed in persons living with HIV (PWH) and is characterized by cognitive deficits implicating disruptions of fronto-striatal neurocircuitry. Such circuitry is also susceptible to alteration by cannabis and other drugs of abuse. PWH use cannabis at much higher rates than the general population, thus prioritizing the characterization of...
RATIONALE: Classic psychedelics are currently being studied as novel treatments for a range of psychiatric disorders. However, research on how psychedelics interact with other psychoactive substances remains scarce. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to explore the subjective effects of psychedelics when used alongside cannabis. METHODS: Participants (n = 321) completed a set of online surveys...
Abstract Background The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remain unclear. Here, we examined the spatial acute effect of THC on human on regional brain activation or blood flow (hereafter called ‘activation signal’) in a ‘core’ network of brain regions that subserve a multitude of processes. We also investigated whether the neuromodulatory...