Background The impact of cannabis use on mental health and cognition in older adults remains unclear. With the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada, physicians will need up-to-date information about the mental and cognitive effects of cannabis use in this specific population. Method A narrative review was conducted to summarize the literature on mental health and cognitive effects of...
Telling the difference between primary psychosis, cannabis intoxication, and cannabis‐induced psychosis is challenging but important, especially now that it's known that almost 50% of cannabis‐induced psychosis precedes primary psychosis. A fictional case study reported in Paediatrics & Child Health makes these challenges come to life. But the purpose of the case study is only as an...
Brain and BehaviorAugust 30, 2020Natalia M Kleinhans, Julia Sweigert, Matthew Blake et al.
The smell of cannabis is a cue with universal relevance to cannabis users. However, most cue reactivity imaging studies have solely utilized visual images, auditory imagery scripts, or tactile cues in their experiments. This study introduces a multimodal cue reactivity paradigm that includes picture, odor, and bimodal picture + odor cues.
BMC PsychiatryAugust 26, 2020Ana Maria Raymundi, Thiago R Da Silva, Jeferson M B Sohn et al.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may stem from the formation of aberrant and enduring aversive memories. Some PTSD patients have recreationally used Cannabis, probably aiming at relieving their symptomatology. However, it is still largely unknown whether and how Cannabis or its psychotomimetic compound Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) attenuates the aversive/traumatic memory outcomes. Here, we...
Cannabis use is highly prevalent among young people diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP), however, its impact on cognition is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of cannabis use with cognition in people diagnosed with FEP. We extended previous research findings by operationalising the comorbid cannabis use, considering recency of cannabis use and...
There is evidence that long-term cannabis use is associated with alterations to glutamate neurotransmission and glial function. In this study, twenty-six long-term cannabis users (males=65.4%) and 47 non-cannabis using healthy controls (males=44.6%) underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in order to characterize neurometabolite...
This article analyzes the use of science as a political tool in prohibitionist logic, adopting an externalist perspective. Prohibitionism strives to have its political-moral precepts be considered scientific, that is, the result of an ideologically neutral research process. The article analyzes the case of cannabis and psychedelics to show how prohibitionism has only resorted to "science" to...
Cannabis is the illicit drug most commonly used worldwide, and its consumption can both induce psychiatric symptoms in otherwise healthy subjects and unmask a florid psychotic picture in patients with a prior psychotic risk. Previous studies suggest that chronic and long-term cannabis exposure may exert significant negative effects in brain areas enriched with cannabinoid receptors. However,...
Abstract: Psychotropic management of a first psychotic break is challenging for many psychiatrists. The literature shows that the use of cannabis is widespread in psychotic individuals. The literature also points to young males being most at risk for substance abuse. Studies also show that obstructive sleep apnea and the stress of the military lifestyle contribute to the development of...
Telling the difference between primary psychosis, cannabis intoxication and cannabis‐induced psychosis is challenging but important, especially now that it's known that almost 50% of cannabis‐induced psychosis precedes primary psychosis. A fictional case study reported in Paediatrics & Child Health makes these challenges come to life. But the purpose of the case study is only as an introduction...