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Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Variable individual sensitivity to cannabis in patients with schizophrenia
Céline Goldberger1, Alain Dervaux, David Gourion
1INSERM, Laboratoire de Physiopathologie des Maladies Psychiatriques, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, U894, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
|June 10, 2010
Summary
Cannabis use can trigger psychosis in schizophrenia patients. Cannabis-sensitive (CS) schizophrenia patients experienced their first psychotic episode 2.6 years earlier than non-cannabis-sensitive (NCS) patients.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Cannabis consumption is increasingly linked to psychosis onset.
- Individual sensitivity to cannabis's psychotogenic effects requires further investigation, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the role of individual sensitivity to cannabis's psychotogenic effects in male schizophrenia patients.
- To identify factors associated with cannabis sensitivity in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- A standardized interview assessed lifetime diagnosis, disease, and substance-use history in 190 male schizophrenia patients.
- Patients with lifetime cannabis use (n=121) were categorized as Cannabis-sensitive (CS) or Non-cannabis-sensitive (NCS) based on symptom onset relative to cannabis use.
Main Results:
- Cannabis-sensitive (CS) schizophrenia patients experienced their first psychotic episode 2.6 years earlier than Non-cannabis-sensitive (NCS) patients (p=0.006).
- CS patients showed a higher prevalence of family history of psychotic disorders and initiated cannabis use earlier (16.7 years).
Conclusions:
- Individual sensitivity to cannabis's psychotogenic effects may modulate psychosis onset in schizophrenia.
- Genetic vulnerability and cannabis's impact on brain maturation during adolescence could underlie cannabis sensitivity in schizophrenia.
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