The association between cannabinoids and psychosis has been known for almost a thousand years, but it is still speculated whether cannabis use may be a contributory cause of psychosis, that is, whether it may precipitate schizophrenia in those at risk. In this paper, we will briefly present the data from individual longitudinal studies in the field, together with the factors that are considered important for the association of cannabis abuse and occurrence of schizophrenia and prevention opportunities in the target population. The reviewed studies clearly suggest that cannabis abuse predicts an increased risk for schizophrenia, particularly in young adults. They underline both the need to create adequate prevention measures and consequently avoid the occurrence of the disease in the young at risk. Particular attention should be additionally devoted toward encouraging the young presenting with psychotic symptoms to stop or, at the very least, reduce the frequency of cannabis abuse. The issues are undoubtedly to be addressed by the health care system in general.
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Addiction
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Background And Aim: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is strongly influenced by genetic factors; however the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well understood. This study investigated whether a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on a genome-wide association study for CUD in adults predicts cannabis use in adolescents and whether the association can be explained by inter-individual variation in structural properties of brain white matter or risk-taking behaviors.
Design And Setting: Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses using data from the IMAGEN cohort, a European longitudinal study integrating genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral measures.
Biomed Pharmacother
January 2025
Department of Health Sciences, Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, University of Florence, Italy. Electronic address:
Cannabis derivatives are among the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world, which leads to growing medical concerns regarding its chronic use and abuse especially among adolescents. Exposure to THC during formative years produces long-term behavioral alterations that share similarities with symptoms of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we have analyzed the functional and molecular mechanisms that might underlie these alterations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Netw Open
December 2024
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St Louis, Missouri.
Importance: The extent to which neuroanatomical variability associated with early substance involvement, which is associated with subsequent risk for substance use disorder development, reflects preexisting risk and/or consequences of substance exposure remains poorly understood.
Objective: To examine neuroanatomical features associated with early substance use initiation and to what extent associations may reflect preexisting vulnerability.
Design, Setting, And Participants: Cohort study using data from baseline through 3-year follow-up assessments of the ongoing longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive compound derived from the cannabis plant Cannabis sativa and approved for emetic conditions, appetite stimulation and sleep apnea relief. THC's psychoactive actions are mediated primarily by the cannabinoid receptor CB. Here, we determine the cryo-EM structure of HU210, a THC analog and widely used tool compound, bound to CB and its primary transducer, G.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Addict
January 2025
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
Background And Objectives: Cyber dating abuse (CDA) is prevalent on college campuses, with 43% of college students experiencing CDA each year. Yet, the potential impacts of CDA victimization on college students' health outcomes remain poorly understood. Informed by the self-medication hypothesis and longitudinal data linking dating abuse to substance use outcomes, the present study tested the hypothesis that CDA victimization positively associates with college students' next-day alcohol use (number of drinks consumed, odds of any drinking) and odds of cannabis use (yes/no).
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