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Xu H, Li J, Huang H, Yin B, Li DD. Abnormal developmental of structural covariance networks in young adults with heavy cannabis use: a 3-year follow-up study. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:45. [PMID: 38245512 PMCID: PMC10799944 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02764-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Heavy cannabis use (HCU) exerts adverse effects on the brain. Structural covariance networks (SCNs) that illustrate coordinated regional maturation patterns are extensively employed to examine abnormalities in brain structure. Nevertheless, the unexplored aspect remains the developmental alterations of SCNs in young adults with HCU for three years, from the baseline (BL) to the 3-year follow-up (FU). These changes demonstrate dynamic development and hold potential as biomarkers. A total of 20 young adults with HCU and 22 matched controls were recruited. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at both the BL and FU and were evaluated using clinical measures. Both groups used cortical thickness (CT) and cortical surface area (CSA) to construct structural covariance matrices. Subsequently, global and nodal network measures of SCNs were computed based on these matrices. Regarding global network measures, the BL assessment revealed significant deviations in small-worldness and local efficiency of CT and CSA in young adults with HCU compared to controls. However, no significant differences between the two groups were observed at the FU evaluation. Young adults with HCU displayed changes in nodal network measures across various brain regions during the transition from BL to FU. These alterations included abnormal nodal degree, nodal efficiency, and nodal betweenness in widespread areas such as the entorhinal cortex, superior frontal gyrus, and parahippocampal cortex. These findings suggest that the topography of CT and CSA plays a role in the typical structural covariance topology of the brain. Furthermore, these results indicate the effect of HCU on the developmental changes of SCNs in young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xu
- School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
- The Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorder, Wenzhou, 325007, China.
| | - Jiahao Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Huan Huang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Bo Yin
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Dan-Dong Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
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Santos-Toscano R, Arevalo MA, Garcia-Segura LM, Grassi D, Lagunas N. Interaction of gonadal hormones, dopaminergic system, and epigenetic regulation in the generation of sex differences in substance use disorders: A systematic review. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 71:101085. [PMID: 37543184 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic condition characterized by pathological drug-taking and seeking behaviors. Remarkably different between males and females, suggesting that drug addiction is a sexually differentiated disorder. The neurobiological bases of sex differences in SUD include sex-specific reward system activation, influenced by interactions between gonadal hormone level changes, dopaminergic reward circuits, and epigenetic modifications of key reward system genes. This systematic review, adhering to PICOS and PRISMA-P 2015 guidelines, highlights the sex-dependent roles of estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone in SUD. In particular, estradiol elevates and progesterone reduces dopaminergic activity in SUD females, whilst testosterone and progesterone augment SUD behavior in males. Finally, SUD is associated with a sex-specific increase in the rate of opioid and monoaminergic gene methylation. The study reveals the need for detailed research on gonadal hormone levels, dopaminergic or reward system activity, and epigenetic landscapes in both sexes for efficient SUD therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Santos-Toscano
- School of Medicine, University of Central Lancashire, 135A Adelphi St, Preston PR1 7BH, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Angeles Arevalo
- Neuroactive Steroids Lab, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura
- Neuroactive Steroids Lab, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniela Grassi
- Neuroactive Steroids Lab, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Autonoma University of Madrid, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Natalia Lagunas
- Neuroactive Steroids Lab, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Reece AS, Hulse GK. Perturbation of 3D nuclear architecture, epigenomic dysregulation and aging, and cannabinoid synaptopathy reconfigures conceptualization of cannabinoid pathophysiology: part 1-aging and epigenomics. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1182535. [PMID: 37732074 PMCID: PMC10507876 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1182535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Much recent attention has been directed toward the spatial organization of the cell nucleus and the manner in which three-dimensional topologically associated domains and transcription factories are epigenetically coordinated to precisely bring enhancers into close proximity with promoters to control gene expression. Twenty lines of evidence robustly implicate cannabinoid exposure with accelerated organismal and cellular aging. Aging has recently been shown to be caused by increased DNA breaks. These breaks rearrange and maldistribute the epigenomic machinery to weaken and reverse cellular differentiation, cause genome-wide DNA demethylation, reduce gene transcription, and lead to the inhibition of developmental pathways, which contribute to the progressive loss of function and chronic immune stimulation that characterize cellular aging. Both cell lineage-defining superenhancers and the superanchors that control them are weakened. Cannabis exposure phenocopies the elements of this process and reproduces DNA and chromatin breakages, reduces the DNA, RNA protein and histone synthesis, interferes with the epigenomic machinery controlling both DNA and histone modifications, induces general DNA hypomethylation, and epigenomically disrupts both the critical boundary elements and the cohesin motors that create chromatin loops. This pattern of widespread interference with developmental programs and relative cellular dedifferentiation (which is pro-oncogenic) is reinforced by cannabinoid impairment of intermediate metabolism (which locks in the stem cell-like hyper-replicative state) and cannabinoid immune stimulation (which perpetuates and increases aging and senescence programs, DNA damage, DNA hypomethylation, genomic instability, and oncogenesis), which together account for the diverse pattern of teratologic and carcinogenic outcomes reported in recent large epidemiologic studies in Europe, the USA, and elsewhere. It also accounts for the prominent aging phenotype observed clinically in long-term cannabis use disorder and the 20 characteristics of aging that it manifests. Increasing daily cannabis use, increasing use in pregnancy, and exponential dose-response effects heighten the epidemiologic and clinical urgency of these findings. Together, these findings indicate that cannabinoid genotoxicity and epigenotoxicity are prominent features of cannabis dependence and strongly indicate coordinated multiomics investigations of cannabinoid genome-epigenome-transcriptome-metabolome, chromatin conformation, and 3D nuclear architecture. Considering the well-established exponential dose-response relationships, the diversity of cannabinoids, and the multigenerational nature of the implications, great caution is warranted in community cannabinoid penetration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Stuart Reece
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - Gary Kenneth Hulse
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
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Xu H, Owens MM, Farncombe T, Noseworthy M, MacKillop J. Molecular brain differences and cannabis involvement: A systematic review of positron emission tomography studies. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 162:44-56. [PMID: 37088043 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.03.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An increasing number of studies have used positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate molecular neurobiological differences in individuals who use cannabis. This study aimed to systematically review PET imaging research in individuals who use cannabis or have cannabis use disorder (CUD). METHODS Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria, a comprehensive systematic review was undertaken using the PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. RESULTS In total, 20 studies were identified and grouped into three themes: (1) studies of the dopamine system primarily found that cannabis use was associated with abnormal striatal dopamine synthesis capacity, which was in turn correlated with clinical symptoms; (2) studies of the endocannabinoid system found that cannabis use and CUD are associated with lower cannabinoid receptor type 1 availability and global reductions in fatty acid amide hydrolase binding; (3) studies of brain metabolism found that individuals who use cannabis exhibit lower normalized glucose metabolism in both cortical and subcortical brain regions, and reduced cerebral blood flow in the lateral prefrontal cortex during experimental tasks. Heterogeneity across studies prevented meta-analysis. CONCLUSION Existing PET imaging research reveals substantive molecular differences in cannabis users in the dopamine and endocannabinoid systems, and in global brain metabolism, although the heterogeneity of designs and approaches is very high, and whether these differences are causal versus consequential is largely unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xu
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, L8P 3R2, ON, Canada
| | - Max M Owens
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, L8P 3R2, ON, Canada
| | - Troy Farncombe
- Department of Radiology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, L8S 4L8, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Noseworthy
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, L8S 4L8, ON, Canada
| | - James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, L8P 3R2, ON, Canada; Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, L8P 3R2, ON, Canada.
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Towers EB, Williams IL, Qillawala EI, Rissman EF, Lynch WJ. Sex/Gender Differences in the Time-Course for the Development of Substance Use Disorder: A Focus on the Telescoping Effect. Pharmacol Rev 2023; 75:217-249. [PMID: 36781217 PMCID: PMC9969523 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.121.000361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex/gender effects have been demonstrated for multiple aspects of addiction, with one of the most commonly cited examples being the "telescoping effect" where women meet criteria and/or seek treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) after fewer years of drug use as compared with men. This phenomenon has been reported for multiple drug classes including opioids, psychostimulants, alcohol, and cannabis, as well as nonpharmacological addictions, such as gambling. However, there are some inconsistent reports that show either no difference between men and women or opposite effects and a faster course to addiction in men than women. Thus, the goals of this review are to evaluate evidence for and against the telescoping effect in women and to determine the conditions/populations for which the telescoping effect is most relevant. We also discuss evidence from preclinical studies, which strongly support the validity of the telescoping effect and show that female animals develop addiction-like features (e.g., compulsive drug use, an enhanced motivation for the drug, and enhanced drug-craving/vulnerability to relapse) more readily than male animals. We also discuss biologic factors that may contribute to the telescoping effect, such as ovarian hormones, and its neurobiological basis focusing on the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway and the corticomesolimbic glutamatergic pathway considering the critical roles these pathways play in the rewarding/reinforcing effects of addictive drugs and SUD. We conclude with future research directions, including intervention strategies to prevent the development of SUD in women. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: One of the most widely cited gender/sex differences in substance use disorder (SUD) is the "telescoping effect," which reflects an accelerated course in women versus men for the development and/or seeking treatment for SUD. This review evaluates evidence for and against a telescoping effect drawing upon data from both clinical and preclinical studies. We also discuss the contribution of biological factors and underlying neurobiological mechanisms and highlight potential targets to prevent the development of SUD in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Blair Towers
- Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences (E.B.T., I.L.W., E.I.Q., W.J.L.) and Medical Scientist Training Program (E.B.T.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Center for Human Health and the Environment and Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (E.F.R.)
| | - Ivy L Williams
- Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences (E.B.T., I.L.W., E.I.Q., W.J.L.) and Medical Scientist Training Program (E.B.T.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Center for Human Health and the Environment and Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (E.F.R.)
| | - Emaan I Qillawala
- Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences (E.B.T., I.L.W., E.I.Q., W.J.L.) and Medical Scientist Training Program (E.B.T.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Center for Human Health and the Environment and Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (E.F.R.)
| | - Emilie F Rissman
- Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences (E.B.T., I.L.W., E.I.Q., W.J.L.) and Medical Scientist Training Program (E.B.T.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Center for Human Health and the Environment and Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (E.F.R.)
| | - Wendy J Lynch
- Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences (E.B.T., I.L.W., E.I.Q., W.J.L.) and Medical Scientist Training Program (E.B.T.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Center for Human Health and the Environment and Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (E.F.R.)
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Hubbard NA, Miller KB, Aloi J, Bajaj S, Wakabayashi KT, Blair RJR. Evaluating instrumental learning and striatal-cortical functional connectivity in adolescent alcohol and cannabis use. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13258. [PMID: 36577718 PMCID: PMC10173870 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a vulnerable time for the acquisition of substance use disorders, potentially relating to ongoing development of neural circuits supporting instrumental learning. Striatal-cortical circuits undergo dynamic changes during instrumental learning and are implicated in contemporary addiction theory. Human studies have not yet investigated these dynamic changes in relation to adolescent substance use. Here, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used while 135 adolescents without (AUD-CUDLow ) and with significant alcohol (AUDHigh ) or cannabis use disorder symptoms (CUDHigh ) performed an instrumental learning task. We assessed how cumulative experience with instrumental cues altered cue selection preferences and functional connectivity strength between reward-sensitive striatal and cortical regions. Adolescents in AUDHigh and CUDHigh groups were slower in learning to select optimal instrumental cues relative to AUD-CUDLow adolescents. The relatively fast learning observed for AUD-CUDLow adolescents coincided with stronger functional connectivity between striatal and frontoparietal regions during early relative to later periods of task experience, whereas the slower learning for the CUDHigh group coincided with the opposite pattern. The AUDHigh group not only exhibited slower learning but also produced more instrumental choice errors relative to AUD-CUDLow adolescents. For the AUDHigh group, Bayesian analyses evidenced moderate support for no experience-related changes in striatal-frontoparietal connectivity strength during the task. Findings suggest that adolescent cannabis use is related to slowed instrumental learning and delays in peak functional connectivity strength between the striatal-frontoparietal regions that support this learning, whereas adolescent alcohol use may be more closely linked to broader impairments in instrumental learning and a general depression of the neural circuits supporting it.
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Affiliation(s)
- NA Hubbard
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
| | - KB Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
| | - J Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - S Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE
| | - KT Wakabayashi
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
| | - RJR Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Villanueva-Blasco VJ, Villanueva-Silvestre V, Vázquez-Martínez A, Andreu-Fernández V, Folgar MI. Cannabis Use in Young and Adult University Students Before and During the COVID-19 Lockdown, According to Gender and Age. Int J Ment Health Addict 2022:1-13. [PMID: 36573251 PMCID: PMC9774078 DOI: 10.1007/s11469-022-00991-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The objectives were: (a) to establish cannabis use prevalence in university students; (b) to determine the changes in consumption of cannabis between prior to and during lockdown. Problematic consumption, gender, and age were taken into account to establish risk groups. Of 1,472 participants between 18-54 years (M = 27.51), 8.01% reported using cannabis before and/or during lockdown (56.6% male). The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) was used to detect cannabis abuse. The main form of consumption was spliffs (89.9%). The mean of spliffs consumed per day decreased during lockdown, but was only significant in male and in the 18-24 group. This decrease was also significant for all three levels of CAST problematic use. Users with moderate addiction and dependence reduced their average number of spliffs consumed per day during lockdown to a greater extent than those without addiction. These findings establish target groups of prevention interventions in the university.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor José Villanueva-Blasco
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, C/ Pintor Sorolla, 21, 46002 Valencia, Spain
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud y Ajuste Psico-Social (GI-SAPS), Valencian International University, Valencia, Spain
| | - Verónica Villanueva-Silvestre
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, C/ Pintor Sorolla, 21, 46002 Valencia, Spain
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud y Ajuste Psico-Social (GI-SAPS), Valencian International University, Valencia, Spain
| | - Andrea Vázquez-Martínez
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, C/ Pintor Sorolla, 21, 46002 Valencia, Spain
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud y Ajuste Psico-Social (GI-SAPS), Valencian International University, Valencia, Spain
| | - Vicente Andreu-Fernández
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, C/ Pintor Sorolla, 21, 46002 Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Isorna Folgar
- Faculty of Education and Social Work, Campus As Lagoas, University of Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
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A Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies of Youth Cannabis Use: Alterations in Executive Control, Social Cognition/Emotion Processing, and Reward Processing in Cannabis Using Youth. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12101281. [PMID: 36291215 PMCID: PMC9599849 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12101281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Adolescent cannabis use (CU) is associated with adverse health outcomes and may be increasing in response to changing cannabis laws. Recent imaging studies have identified differences in brain activity between adult CU and controls that are more prominent in early onset users. Whether these differences are present in adolescent CU and relate to age/developmental stage, sex, or cannabis exposure is unknown. Methods: A systematic review and subsequent effect-size seed-based d mapping (SDM) meta-analysis were conducted to examine differences in blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response during fMRI studies between CU and non-using typically developing (TD) youth. Supplemental analyses investigated differences in BOLD signal in CU and TD youth as a function of sex, psychiatric comorbidity, and the dose and severity of cannabis exposure. Results: From 1371 citations, 45 fMRI studies were identified for inclusion in the SDM meta-analysis. These studies compared BOLD response contrasts in 1216 CU and 1486 non-using TD participants. In primary meta-analyses stratified by cognitive paradigms, CU (compared to TD) youth showed greater activation in the rostral medial prefrontal cortex (rmPFC) and decreased activation in the dorsal mPFC (dmPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) during executive control and social cognition/emotion processing, respectively. In meta-regression analyses and subgroup meta-analyses, sex, cannabis use disorder (CUD) severity, and psychiatric comorbidity were correlated with brain activation differences between CU and TD youth in mPFC and insular cortical regions. Activation differences in the caudate, thalamus, insula, dmPFC/dACC, and precentral and postcentral gyri varied as a function of the length of abstinence. Conclusions: Using an SDM meta-analytic approach, this report identified differences in neuronal response between CU and TD youth during executive control, emotion processing, and reward processing in cortical and subcortical brain regions that varied as a function of sex, CUD severity, psychiatric comorbidity, and length of abstinence. Whether aberrant brain function in CU youth is attributable to common predispositional factors, cannabis-induced neuroadaptive changes, or both warrants further investigation.
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Courtney KE, Sorg S, Baca R, Doran N, Jacobson A, Liu TT, Jacobus J. The Effects of Nicotine and Cannabis Co-Use During Late Adolescence on White Matter Fiber Tract Microstructure. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2022; 83:287-295. [PMID: 35254252 PMCID: PMC8909919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Co-use of cannabis and nicotine and tobacco products (NTPs) in adolescence/young adulthood is common and associated with worse outcomes than the use of either substance in isolation. Despite this, little is known about the unique contributions of co-use to neurostructural microstructure during this neurodevelopmentally important period. This study sought to investigate the interactive effects of nicotine and cannabis co-use on white matter fiber tract microstructure in emerging adulthood. METHOD A total of 111 late adolescent (16-22 years old) nicotine (NTP; n = 55, all past-year cannabis users) and non-nicotine users (non-NTP; n = 56, 61% reporting cannabis use in the past year) completed demographic and clinical interviews and a neuroimaging session comprising anatomical and diffusion-weighted imaging scans. Group connectometry analysis identified white matter tracts significantly associated with the interaction between nicotine group and past-year cannabis use according to generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA). RESULTS Nicotine Group × Cannabis Use interactions were observed in the right and left cingulum and left fornix tracts (false discovery rate = 0.053), where greater cannabis use was associated with increased GFA in the cingulum and left fornix, but only when co-used with nicotine. CONCLUSIONS This report represents the first group connectometry analysis in late adolescent/young adult cannabis and/or NTP users. Results suggest that co-use of cannabis and NTPs results in a structurally distinct white matter phenotype as compared with cannabis use only, although to what extent this may change over time with more chronic nicotine and cannabis use remains to be examined in future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E. Courtney
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Scott Sorg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California,Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, California
| | - Rachel Baca
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Neal Doran
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California,Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, California
| | - Aaron Jacobson
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Thomas T. Liu
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Joanna Jacobus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California,Correspondence may be sent to Joanna Jacobus at the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0405, La Jolla, CA 92093, or via email at:
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10
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Courtney KE, Sorg S, Baca R, Doran N, Jacobson A, Liu TT, Jacobus J. The Effects of Nicotine and Cannabis Co-Use During Late Adolescence on White Matter Fiber Tract Microstructure. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2022; 83:287-295. [PMID: 35254252 PMCID: PMC8909919 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2022.83.287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Co-use of cannabis and nicotine and tobacco products (NTPs) in adolescence/young adulthood is common and associated with worse outcomes than the use of either substance in isolation. Despite this, little is known about the unique contributions of co-use to neurostructural microstructure during this neurodevelopmentally important period. This study sought to investigate the interactive effects of nicotine and cannabis co-use on white matter fiber tract microstructure in emerging adulthood. METHOD A total of 111 late adolescent (16-22 years old) nicotine (NTP; n = 55, all past-year cannabis users) and non-nicotine users (non-NTP; n = 56, 61% reporting cannabis use in the past year) completed demographic and clinical interviews and a neuroimaging session comprising anatomical and diffusion-weighted imaging scans. Group connectometry analysis identified white matter tracts significantly associated with the interaction between nicotine group and past-year cannabis use according to generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA). RESULTS Nicotine Group × Cannabis Use interactions were observed in the right and left cingulum and left fornix tracts (false discovery rate = 0.053), where greater cannabis use was associated with increased GFA in the cingulum and left fornix, but only when co-used with nicotine. CONCLUSIONS This report represents the first group connectometry analysis in late adolescent/young adult cannabis and/or NTP users. Results suggest that co-use of cannabis and NTPs results in a structurally distinct white matter phenotype as compared with cannabis use only, although to what extent this may change over time with more chronic nicotine and cannabis use remains to be examined in future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E. Courtney
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Scott Sorg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, California
| | - Rachel Baca
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Neal Doran
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, California
| | - Aaron Jacobson
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Thomas T. Liu
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Joanna Jacobus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
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Reitsma SE, Lakshmanan HHS, Johnson J, Pang J, Parra-Izquierdo I, Melrose AR, Choi J, Anderson DEJ, Hinds MT, Stevens JF, Aslan JE, McCarty OJT, Lo JO. Chronic edible dosing of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in nonhuman primates reduces systemic platelet activity and function. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2022; 322:C370-C381. [PMID: 35080922 PMCID: PMC8858671 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00373.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis usage has steadily increased as acceptance is growing for both medical and recreational reasons. Medical cannabis is administered for treatment of chronic pain based on the premise that the endocannabinoid system signals desensitize pain sensor neurons and produce anti-inflammatory effects. The major psychoactive ingredient of cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that signals mainly through cannabinoid receptor-1 (CBr), which is also present on nonneuron cells including blood platelets of the circulatory system. In vitro, CBr-mediated signaling has been shown to acutely inhibit platelet activation downstream of the platelet collagen receptor glycoprotein (GP)VI. The systemic effects of chronic THC administration on platelet activity and function remain unclear. This study investigates the effects of chronic THC administration on platelet function using a nonhuman primate (NHP) model. Our results show that female and male NHPs consuming a daily THC edible had reduced platelet adhesion, aggregation, and granule secretion in response to select platelet agonists. Furthermore, a change in bioactive lipids (oxylipins) was observed in the female cohort after THC administration. These results indicate that chronic THC edible administration desensitized platelet activity and function in response to GPVI- and G-protein coupled receptor-based activation by interfering with primary and secondary feedback signaling pathways. These observations may have important clinical implications for patients who use medical marijuana and for providers caring for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie E. Reitsma
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | | | - Jennifer Johnson
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jiaqing Pang
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Iván Parra-Izquierdo
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon,2Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Alex R. Melrose
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon,2Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jaewoo Choi
- 3Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
| | - Deirdre E. J. Anderson
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Monica T. Hinds
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jan Frederik Stevens
- 3Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon,4College of Pharmacy, Oregon State university, Corvallis, Oregon
| | - Joseph E. Aslan
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon,2Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Owen J. T. McCarty
- 1Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jamie O. Lo
- 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
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12
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Francis AM, Bissonnette JN, MacNeil SE, Crocker CE, Tibbo PG, Fisher DJ. Interaction of sex and cannabis in adult in vivo brain imaging studies: A systematic review. Brain Neurosci Adv 2022; 6:23982128211073431. [PMID: 35097219 PMCID: PMC8793398 DOI: 10.1177/23982128211073431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cannabis has been shown to cause structural and functional neurocognitive changes in heavy users. Cannabis use initiation aligns with brain development trajectories; therefore, it is imperative that the potential neurological implications of cannabis use are understood. Males and females reach neurodevelopmental milestones at different rates making it necessary to consider biological sex in all cannabis and brain-based research. Through use of a systamatic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, we aimed to understand the interaction between biological sex and cannabis use on brain-based markers. In total, 18 articles containing a sex-based analysis of cannabis users were identified. While the majority of studies (n = 11) reported no sex by cannabis use interactions on brain-based markers, those that reported findings (n = 8) suggest females may be more susceptible to cannabis’ neurotoxic effects. Unfortunately, a large portion of the literature was excluded due to no sex-based analysis. In addition, studies that reported no sex differences often contained a reduced number of females which may result in some studies being underpowered for sex-based analyses, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Suggestions to improve cannabis and sex-based reseach are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M. Francis
- Department of Psychology, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Jenna N. Bissonnette
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Sarah E. MacNeil
- Department of Psychology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Candice E. Crocker
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Philip G. Tibbo
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Derek J. Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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13
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Evaluating the evidence for sex differences: a scoping review of human neuroimaging in psychopharmacology research. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:430-443. [PMID: 34732844 PMCID: PMC8674314 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01162-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Although sex differences in psychiatric disorders abound, few neuropsychopharmacology (NPP) studies consider sex as a biological variable (SABV). We conducted a scoping review of this literature in humans by systematically searching PubMed to identify peer-reviewed journal articles published before March 2020 that (1) studied FDA-approved medications used to treat psychiatric disorders (or related symptoms) and (2) adequately evaluated sex differences using in vivo neuroimaging methodologies. Of the 251 NPP studies that included both sexes and considered SABV in analyses, 80% used methodologies that eliminated the effect of sex (e.g., by including sex as a covariate to control for its effect). Only 20% (50 studies) adequately evaluated sex differences either by testing for an interaction involving sex or by stratifying analyses by sex. Of these 50 studies, 72% found statistically significant sex differences in at least one outcome. Sex differences in neural and behavioral outcomes were studied more often in drugs indicated for conditions with known sex differences. Likewise, the majority of studies conducted in those drug classes noted sex differences: antidepressants (13 of 16), antipsychotics (10 of 12), sedative-hypnotics (6 of 10), and stimulants (6 of 10). In contrast, only two studies of mood stabilizers evaluated SABV, with one noting a sex difference. By mapping this literature, we bring into sharp relief how few studies adequately evaluate sex differences in NPP studies. Currently, all NIH-funded studies are required to consider SABV. We urge scientific journals, peer reviewers, and regulatory agencies to require researchers to consider SABV in their research. Continuing to ignore SABV in NPP research has ramifications both in terms of rigor and reproducibility of research, potentially leading to costly consequences and unrealized benefits.
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14
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Sex differences in methylphenidate-induced dopamine increases in ventral striatum. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:939-946. [PMID: 34707237 PMCID: PMC9043036 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01294-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in the prevalence of dopamine-related neuropsychiatric diseases and in the sensitivity to dopamine-boosting drugs such as stimulants is well recognized. Here we assessed whether there are sex differences in the brain dopamine system in humans that could contribute to these effects. We analyzed data from two independent [11C]raclopride PET brain imaging studies that measured methylphenidate-induced dopamine increases in the striatum using different routes of administration (Cohort A = oral 60 mg; Cohort B = intravenous 0.5 mg/kg; total n = 95; 65 male, 30 female), in blinded placebo-controlled designs. Females when compared to males reported stronger feeling of "drug effects" and showed significantly greater dopamine release in the ventral striatum (where nucleus accumbens is located) to both oral and intravenous methylphenidate. In contrast, there were no significant differences in methylphenidate-induced increases in dorsal striatum for either oral or intravenous administration nor were there differences in levels of methylphenidate in plasma. The greater dopamine increases with methylphenidate in ventral but not dorsal striatum in females compared to males suggests an enhanced sensitivity specific to the dopamine reward system that might underlie sex differences in the vulnerability to substance use disorders and to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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15
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that an overlap exists between the neurobiology of psychotic disorders and the effects of cannabinoids on neurocognitive and neurochemical substrates involved in reward processing. AIMS We investigate whether the psychotomimetic effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the antipsychotic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) are underpinned by their effects on the reward system and dopamine. METHODS This narrative review focuses on the overlap between altered dopamine signalling and reward processing induced by cannabinoids, pre-clinically and in humans. A systematic search was conducted of acute cannabinoid drug-challenge studies using neuroimaging in healthy subjects and those with psychosis RESULTS: There is evidence of increased striatal presynaptic dopamine synthesis and release in psychosis, as well as abnormal engagement of the striatum during reward processing. Although, acute THC challenges have elicited a modest effect on striatal dopamine, cannabis users generally indicate impaired presynaptic dopaminergic function. Functional MRI studies have identified that a single dose of THC may modulate regions involved in reward and salience processing such as the striatum, midbrain, insular, and anterior cingulate, with some effects correlating with the severity of THC-induced psychotic symptoms. CBD may modulate brain regions involved in reward/salience processing in an opposite direction to that of THC. CONCLUSIONS There is evidence to suggest modulation of reward processing and its neural substrates by THC and CBD. Whether such effects underlie the psychotomimetic/antipsychotic effects of these cannabinoids remains unclear. Future research should address these unanswered questions to understand the relationship between endocannabinoid dysfunction, reward processing abnormalities, and psychosis.
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16
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Chen MK, Mecca AP, Naganawa M, Gallezot JD, Toyonaga T, Mondal J, Finnema SJ, Lin SF, O’Dell RS, McDonald JW, Michalak HR, Vander Wyk B, Nabulsi NB, Huang Y, Arnsten AFT, van Dyck CH, Carson RE. Comparison of [ 11C]UCB-J and [ 18F]FDG PET in Alzheimer's disease: A tracer kinetic modeling study. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2021; 41:2395-2409. [PMID: 33757318 PMCID: PMC8393289 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x211004312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
[11C]UCB-J PET for synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 A (SV2A) has been proposed as a suitable marker for synaptic density in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We compared [11C]UCB-J binding for synaptic density and [18F]FDG uptake for metabolism (correlated with neuronal activity) in 14 AD and 11 cognitively normal (CN) participants. We assessed both absolute and relative outcome measures in brain regions of interest, i.e., K1 or R1 for [11C]UCB-J perfusion, VT (volume of distribution) or DVR to cerebellum for [11C]UCB-J binding to SV2A; and Ki or KiR to cerebellum for [18F]FDG metabolism. [11C]UCB-J binding and [18F]FDG metabolism showed a similar magnitude of reduction in the medial temporal lobe of AD -compared to CN participants. However, the magnitude of reduction of [11C]UCB-J binding in neocortical regions was less than that observed with [18F]FDG metabolism. Inter-tracer correlations were also higher in the medial temporal regions between synaptic density and metabolism, with lower correlations in neocortical regions. [11C]UCB-J perfusion showed a similar pattern to [18F]FDG metabolism, with high inter-tracer regional correlations. In summary, we conducted the first in vivo PET imaging of synaptic density and metabolism in the same AD participants and reported a concordant reduction in medial temporal regions but a discordant reduction in neocortical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Kai Chen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Adam P Mecca
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mika Naganawa
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jean-Dominique Gallezot
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Takuya Toyonaga
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jayanta Mondal
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sjoerd J Finnema
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Shu-fei Lin
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ryan S O’Dell
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Julia W McDonald
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hannah R Michalak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Brent Vander Wyk
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nabeel B Nabulsi
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yiyun Huang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amy FT Arnsten
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Richard E Carson
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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17
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Yuan F, Yu J, Liao G, Li J, Long T, Li Y, Chen D, Dai Q, Zhu X, Hu S, Qian Z. 18 F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography metabolic pattern assessment in the brain of betel quid dependent individuals. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e13043. [PMID: 33908137 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The primary objective of this study was to identify the metabolic pattern in the brains of betel quid dependent (BQD) individuals using 18 F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (18 F-FDG-PET). A total of 42 individuals (16 BQD individuals and 26 healthy controls, HCs) enrolled at the Department of Nuclear Medicine of Xiangya Hospital underwent brain 18 F-FDG-PET. Group comparisons using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) were performed to identify the 18 F-FDG-PET patterns. Standardized uptake value ratios of anterior cingulate, frontal, thalamus, parietal, occipital, temporal and cerebellum were calculated by SPM. The characteristics of abnormal metabolism in brain regions were quantified using the xjView toolbox, and a 3-D brain map was drawn using BrainNet Viewer. We found significant metabolic reduction in the bilateral middle prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the left orbital frontal gyrus (OFC). In contrast, hypermetabolism was observed in the inferior cerebellum, fusiform, superior cerebellum, parahippocampal, vermis, lingual and thalamus. However, we found no significant difference between the BQD and HC group in the anterior cingulate, thalamus, cerebellum and frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. In summary, we found abnormal 18 F-FDG-PET metabolic pattern in BQD individuals, and this pattern may help the treatment of BQD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulai Yuan
- Health Management Center, Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Jie Yu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Guang Liao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Tingting Long
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Yulai Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Dengming Chen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Qionghai Dai
- Department of Automation, Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology Tsinghua University Beijing China
| | - Xueling Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha China
| | - Shuo Hu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Nanotechnology of National Health Commission Changsha China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases (XIANGYA) Changsha China
| | - Zhaoxin Qian
- Department of Emergency, XiangYa Hospital Central South University Changsha China
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18
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Kesner AJ, Lovinger DM. Cannabis use, abuse, and withdrawal: Cannabinergic mechanisms, clinical, and preclinical findings. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1674-1696. [PMID: 33891706 PMCID: PMC9291571 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis sativa is the most widely used illicit drug in the world. Its main psychoactive component is delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of over 100 phytocannabinoid compounds produced by the cannabis plant. THC is the primary compound that drives cannabis abuse potential and is also used and prescribed medically for therapeutic qualities. Despite its therapeutic potential, a significant subpopulation of frequent cannabis or THC users will develop a drug use syndrome termed cannabis use disorder. Individuals suffering from cannabis use disorder exhibit many of the hallmarks of classical addictions including cravings, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms. Currently, there are no efficacious treatments for cannabis use disorder or withdrawal symptoms. This makes both clinical and preclinical research on the neurobiological mechanisms of these syndromes ever more pertinent. Indeed, basic research using animal models has provided valuable evidence of the neural molecular and cellular actions of cannabis that mediate its behavioral effects. One of the main components being central action on the cannabinoid type‐one receptor and downstream intracellular signaling related to the endogenous cannabinoid system. Back‐translational studies have provided insight linking preclinical basic and behavioral biology research to better understand symptoms observed at the clinical level. This narrative review aims to summarize major research elucidating the molecular, cellular, and behavioral manifestations of cannabis/THC use that play a role in cannabis use disorder and withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Kesner
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Center on Compulsive Behaviors, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David M Lovinger
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Center on Compulsive Behaviors, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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19
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McPherson KL, Tomasi DG, Wang GJ, Manza P, Volkow ND. Cannabis Affects Cerebellar Volume and Sleep Differently in Men and Women. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:643193. [PMID: 34054601 PMCID: PMC8155508 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.643193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: There are known sex differences in behavioral and clinical outcomes associated with drugs of abuse, including cannabis. However, little is known about how chronic cannabis use and sex interact to affect brain structure, particularly in regions with high cannabinoid receptor expression, such as the cerebellum, amygdala, and hippocampus. Based on behavioral data suggesting that females may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of chronic cannabis use, we hypothesized lower volumes in these regions in female cannabis users. We also hypothesized poorer sleep quality among female cannabis users, given recent findings highlighting the importance of sleep for many outcomes related to cannabis use disorder. Methods: Using data from the Human Connectome Project, we examined 170 chronic cannabis users (>100 lifetime uses and/or a lifetime diagnosis of cannabis dependence) and 170 controls that we attempted to match on age, sex, BMI, race, tobacco use, and alcohol use. We performed group-by-sex ANOVAs, testing for an interaction in subcortical volumes, and in self-reported sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire Inventory). Results: After controlling for total intracranial volume and past/current tobacco usage, we found that cannabis users relative to controls had smaller cerebellum volume and poorer sleep quality, and these effects were driven by the female cannabis users (i.e., a group-by-sex interaction). Among cannabis users, there was an age of first use-by-sex interaction in sleep quality, such that females with earlier age of first cannabis use tended to have more self-reported sleep issues, whereas this trend was not present among male cannabis users. The amygdala volume was smaller in cannabis users than in non-users but the group by sex interaction was not significant. Conclusions: These data corroborate prior findings that females may be more sensitive to the neural and behavioral effects of chronic cannabis use than males. Further work is needed to determine if reduced cerebellar and amygdala volumes contribute to sleep impairments in cannabis users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine L. McPherson
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Dardo G. Tomasi
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Gene-Jack Wang
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Peter Manza
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Nora D. Volkow
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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20
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Ramirez V, Wiers CE, Wang GJ, Volkow ND. Personality traits in substance use disorders and obesity when compared to healthy controls. Addiction 2020; 115:2130-2139. [PMID: 32350970 DOI: 10.1111/add.15062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although personality traits are implicated in substance use disorders (SUDs) and obesity, differences and similarities between them have not been assessed. Our main aim was to compare personality traits between people with different SUDs, obese people and healthy controls. DESIGN This was a secondary analysis of personality scores obtained from participants in neuroimaging studies from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institutes of Health. SETTING United States. PARTICIPANTS/CASES Individuals with obesity (OB) n = 41, alcohol use disorder (AUD) n = 39, marijuana use disorder (MUD) n = 24, cocaine use disorder (CUD) n = 100, and healthy controls (HC) n = 117 (237 males and 84 females). MEASUREMENTS The Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, which characterizes positive emotionality (PEM), negative emotionality (NEM) and constraint (CON) traits. Adjusted covariates included cigarette smoking status, age, gender and body mass index (BMI). FINDINGS Multivariate analysis of covariance showed a main group effect (i.e. OB, AUD, MUD, CUD and HC) only on NEM (P < 0.0001, η2 = 0.17) and CON (P = 0.005, η2 = 0.12). Specifically, NEM was higher in AUD (P < 0.0001, d = 10.4), CUD (P < 0.0001, d = 8.2) and MUD (P = 0.001, d = 9.2), but not in OB (P > 0.05, d = 2.8) relative to HC. CUD showed lower CON (P = 0.015, d = 5.4) and PEM (P = 0.018, d = 4.8) than HC; however, these differences were not significant in the other groups. NEM and CON were negatively correlated for groups combined (r = -0.26, P < 0.0001), and separately for OB (r = -0.49, P = 0.001) and CUD (r = -0.22, P = 0.03). Cigarette smoking status did not influence group differences in NEM, PEM or CON. CONCLUSIONS Compared with healthy controls, people with substance use disorders appear to show higher negative emotionality, and people with cocaine use disorders appear to show lower positive emotionality and constraint traits. Similar findings were not found among people with obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Ramirez
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Corinde E Wiers
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gene-Jack Wang
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nora D Volkow
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA.,National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD, USA
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21
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Turco CV, Arsalan SO, Nelson AJ. The Influence of Recreational Substance Use in TMS Research. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E751. [PMID: 33080965 PMCID: PMC7603156 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approaches are widely used to study cortical and corticospinal function. However, responses to TMS are subject to significant intra-and inter-individual variability. Acute and chronic exposure to recreational substances alters the excitability of the sensorimotor system and may contribute to the variability in TMS outcome measures. The increasing prevalence of recreational substance use poses a significant challenge for executing TMS studies, but there is a lack of clarity regarding the influence of these substances on sensorimotor function. (2) Methods: The literature investigating the influence of alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and cannabis on TMS outcome measures of corticospinal, intracortical and interhemispheric excitability was reviewed. (3) Results: Both acute and chronic use of recreational substances modulates TMS measures of excitability. Despite the abundance of research in this field, we identify knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future studies to better understand the influence of these substances on TMS outcomes. (4) Conclusions: This review highlights the need for TMS studies to take into consideration the history of participant substance use and to control for acute substance use prior to testing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aimee J. Nelson
- Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; (C.V.T.); (S.O.A.)
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22
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Wright M, Di Ciano P, Brands B. Use of Cannabidiol for the Treatment of Anxiety: A Short Synthesis of Pre-Clinical and Clinical Evidence. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2020; 5:191-196. [PMID: 32923656 DOI: 10.1089/can.2019.0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders have the highest lifetime prevalence of any mental illness worldwide, leading to high societal costs and economic burden. Current pharmacotherapies for anxiety disorders are associated with adverse effects and low efficacy. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a constituent of the Cannabis plant, which has potential therapeutic properties for various indications. After the recent legalization of cannabis, CBD has drawn increased attention as a potential treatment, as the majority of existing data suggest it is safe, well tolerated, has few adverse effects, and demonstrates no potential for abuse or dependence in humans. Pre-clinical research using animal models of innate fear and anxiety-like behaviors have found anxiolytic, antistress, anticompulsive, and panicolytic-like effects of CBD. Preliminary evidence from human trials using both healthy volunteers and individuals with social anxiety disorder, suggests that CBD may have anxiolytic effects. Although these findings are promising, future research is warranted to determine the efficacy of CBD in other anxiety disorders, establish appropriate doses, and determine its long-term efficacy. The majority of pre-clinical and clinical research has been conducted using males only. Among individuals with anxiety disorders, the prevalence rates, symptomology, and treatment response differ between males and females. Thus, future research should focus on this area due to the lack of research in females and the knowledge gap on sex and gender differences in the effectiveness of CBD as a potential treatment for anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Wright
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Patricia Di Ciano
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Bruna Brands
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Controlled Substances and Cannabis Directorate, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
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23
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Schifani C, Pruessner J, Tseng H, Rao N, Tagore A, Wilson AA, Houle S, Rusjan PM, Mizrahi R. Stress-induced cortical dopamine response is altered in subjects at clinical high risk for psychosis using cannabis. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12812. [PMID: 31389139 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Stress and cannabis use are risk factors for the development of psychosis. We have previously shown that subjects at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) exhibit a higher striatal dopamine response to stress compared with healthy volunteers (HV), with chronic cannabis use blunting this response. However, it is unknown if this abnormal dopamine response extends to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Here, we investigated dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) and medial PFC (mPFC) dopamine release using [11 C]FLB457 positron emission tomography (PET) and a validated stress task. Thirty-three participants completed two PET scans (14 CHR without cannabis use, eight CHR regular cannabis users [CHR-CUs] and 11 HV) while performing a Sensory Motor Control Task (control scan) and the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (stress scan). Stress-induced dopamine release (ΔBPND ) was defined as percent change in D2/3 receptor binding potential between both scans using a novel correction for injected mass of [11 C]FLB457. ΔBPND was significantly different between groups in mPFC (F(2,30) = 5.40, .010), with CHR-CUs exhibiting lower ΔBPND compared with CHR (.008). Similarly, salivary cortisol response (ΔAUCI ) was significantly lower in CHR-CU compared with CHR (F(2,29) = 5.08, .013; post hoc .018) and positively associated with ΔBPND . Furthermore, CHR-CUs had higher attenuated psychotic symptoms than CHR following the stress task, which were negatively associated with ΔBPND . Length of cannabis use was negatively associated with ΔBPND in mPFC when controlling for current cannabis use. Given the global trend to legalize cannabis, this study is important as it highlights the effects of regular cannabis use on cortical dopamine function in high-risk youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Schifani
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Jens Pruessner
- Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Douglas Institute McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
- Department of Psychology University of Constance Constance Germany
| | - Huai‐Hsuan Tseng
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Naren Rao
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Abanti Tagore
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
- Institute of Medical Science University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Alan A. Wilson
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Sylvain Houle
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Pablo M. Rusjan
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- Research Imaging Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychiatry University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
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24
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Cameron EC, Hemingway SL. Cannabinoids for fibromyalgia pain: a critical review of recent studies (2015-2019). J Cannabis Res 2020; 2:19. [PMID: 33526114 PMCID: PMC7819299 DOI: 10.1186/s42238-020-00024-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Fibromyalgia is a chronic health condition characterized by widespread, severe musculoskeletal pain that affects an estimated 5-7% of the global population. Due to the highly comorbid nature of fibromyalgia, patients with the disorder often respond poorly to traditional pain treatments. Recent studies suggest that patient response may be more favorable to alternative analgesics, such as cannabis. However, the therapeutic potential of cannabis-based pain treatment for fibromyalgia remains unclear. The present study examined the most recent cannabis literature (2015-2019) and provides a critical review of current research on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis treatments for fibromyalgia. METHODS We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in searching the PubMed and Medline databases using the search terms "cannabis + fibromyalgia" and then "cannabinoids + fibromyalgia." Inclusion criteria were a) English language, b) published in peer review journals, c) published from 2015 to 2019, d) all study designs except for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and e) all cannabis preparations. RESULTS The search identified five applicable studies involving 827 participants that used six different treatments. Review suggested several methodological problems pertaining to generalizability and validity. CONCLUSION Although the critically reviewed studies superficially suggest that medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for fibromyalgia pain, serious methodological limitations prevent a definitive conclusion regarding the use of cannabinoids for pain management in fibromyalgia patients at this time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erinn C Cameron
- School of Psychology, Fielding Graduate University, 2020 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105, USA.
| | - Samantha L Hemingway
- School of Psychology, Fielding Graduate University, 2020 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105, USA
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25
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Sex differences in the interactive effects of early life stress and the endocannabinoid system. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2020; 80:106893. [PMID: 32437941 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2020.106893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in both the endocannabinoid system and stress responses have been established for decades. While there is ample evidence that the sexes respond differently to stress and that the endocannabinoid system is involved in this response, what is less clear is whether the endocannabinoid system mediates this response to stress differently in both sexes. Also, do the sexes respond similarly to exogenous cannabinoids (CBs) following stress? Can the administration of exogenous CBs normalize the effects of stress and if so, does this happen similarly in male and female subjects? This review will attempt to delineate the stress induced neurochemical alterations in the endocannabinoid system and the resulting behavioral changes across periods of development: prenatal, early neonatal or adolescent in males and females. Within this frame work, we will then examine the neurochemical and behavioral effects of exogenous CBs and illustrate that the response to CBs is determined by the stress history of the animal. The theoretical framework for this endeavor relates to the established effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in increasing substance abuse, depression and anxiety and the possibility that individuals with high ACE scores may consume cannabinoids to "self-medicate". Overall, we see that while there are instances where exogenous cannabinoids "normalize" the adverse effects produced by early stress, this normalization does not occur in all animal models with any sort of consistency. The most compelling report where CB administration appears to normalize behaviors altered by early stress, shows minimal differences between the sexes (Alteba et al., 2016). This is in stark contrast to the majority of studies on early stress and the endocannabinoid system where both sexes are included and show quite divergent, in fact opposite, effects in males and females. Frequently there is a disconnect between neurochemical changes and behavioral changes and often, exogenous CBs have greater effects in stressed animals compared to non-stressed controls. This report as well as others reviewed here do support the concept that the effects of exogenous CBs are different in individuals experiencing early stress and that these differences are not equal in males and females. However, due to the wide variety of stressors used and the range of ages when the stress is applied, additional careful studies are warranted to fully understand the interactive effects of stress and the endocannabinoid system in males and females. In general, the findings do not support the statement that CB self-administration is an effective treatment for the adverse behavioral effects of early maltreatment in either males or females. Certainly this review should draw the attention of clinicians working with children, adolescents and adults exposed to early trauma and provide some perspective on the dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system in the response to trauma, the complex actions of exogenous CBs based on stress history and the unique effects of these factors in men and women.
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Burgdorf CE, Jing D, Yang R, Huang C, Hill MN, Mackie K, Milner TA, Pickel VM, Lee FS, Rajadhyaksha AM. Endocannabinoid genetic variation enhances vulnerability to THC reward in adolescent female mice. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaay1502. [PMID: 32095523 PMCID: PMC7015690 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay1502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence represents a developmental period with the highest risk for initiating cannabis use. Little is known about whether genetic variation in the endocannabinoid system alters mesolimbic reward circuitry to produce vulnerability to the rewarding properties of the exogenous cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Using a genetic knock-in mouse model (FAAHC/A) that biologically recapitulates the human polymorphism associated with problematic drug use, we find that in adolescent female mice, but not male mice, this FAAH polymorphism enhances the mesolimbic dopamine circuitry projecting from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and alters cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) levels at inhibitory and excitatory terminals in the VTA. These developmental changes collectively increase vulnerability of adolescent female FAAHC/A mice to THC preference that persists into adulthood. Together, these findings suggest that this endocannabinoid genetic variant is a contributing factor for increased susceptibility to cannabis dependence in adolescent females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin E. Burgdorf
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Feil Family Brain and Mind and Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Deqiang Jing
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ruirong Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Chienchun Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Matthew N. Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy and Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Ken Mackie
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Teresa A. Milner
- Feil Family Brain and Mind and Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Virginia M. Pickel
- Feil Family Brain and Mind and Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Francis S. Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Feil Family Brain and Mind and Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
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de Guglielmo G, Fu Y, Chen J, Larrosa E, Hoang I, Kawamura T, Lorrai I, Zorman B, Bryant J, George O, Sumazin P, Lefebvre C, Repunte-Canonigo V, Sanna PP. Increases in compulsivity, inflammation, and neural injury in HIV transgenic rats with escalated methamphetamine self-administration under extended-access conditions. Brain Res 2020; 1726:146502. [PMID: 31605699 PMCID: PMC7195807 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The abuse of stimulants, such as methamphetamine (METH), is associated with treatment non-compliance, a greater risk of viral transmission, and the more rapid clinical progression of immunological and central nervous system human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. The behavioral effects of METH in the setting of HIV remain largely uncharacterized. We used a state-of-the-art paradigm of the escalation of voluntary intravenous drug self-administration in HIV transgenic (Tg) and wildtype rats. The rats were first allowed to self-administer METH under short-access (ShA) conditions, which is characterized by a nondependent and more "recreational" pattern of METH use, and then allowed to self-administer METH under long-access (LgA) conditions, which leads to compulsive (dependent) METH intake. HIV Tg and wildtype rats self-administered equal amounts of METH under ShA conditions. HIV Tg rats self-administered METH under LgA conditions following a 4-week enforced abstinence period to model the intermittent pattern of stimulant abuse in humans. These HIV Tg rats developed greater motivation to self-administer METH and self-administered larger amounts of METH. Impairments in function of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) contribute to compulsive drug and alcohol intake. Gene expression profiling of the mPFC in HIV Tg rats with a history of escalated METH self-administration under LgA conditions showed transcriptional evidence of increased inflammation, greater neural injury, and impaired aerobic glucose metabolism than wildtype rats that self-administered METH under LgA conditions. The detrimental effects of the interaction between neuroHIV and escalated METH intake on the mPFC are likely key factors in the greater vulnerability to excessive drug intake in the setting of HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giordano de Guglielmo
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Yu Fu
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Jihuan Chen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Estefania Larrosa
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ivy Hoang
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tomoya Kawamura
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Irene Lorrai
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Barry Zorman
- Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joseph Bryant
- University of Maryland and Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Olivier George
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Pavel Sumazin
- Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Celine Lefebvre
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Servier, Paris, France
| | - Vez Repunte-Canonigo
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Pietro Paolo Sanna
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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28
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Blithikioti C, Miquel L, Batalla A, Rubio B, Maffei G, Herreros I, Gual A, Verschure P, Balcells‐Oliveró M. Cerebellar alterations in cannabis users: A systematic review. Addict Biol 2019; 24:1121-1137. [PMID: 30811097 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis is the most used illicit substance in the world. As many countries are moving towards decriminalization, it is crucial to determine whether and how cannabis use affects human brain and behavior. The role of the cerebellum in cognition, emotion, learning, and addiction is increasingly recognized. Because of its high density in CB1 receptors, it is expected to be highly affected by cannabis use. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate how cannabis use affects cerebellar structure and function, as well as cerebellar-dependent behavioral tasks. Three databases were searched for peer-reviewed literature published until March 2018. We included studies that focused on cannabis effects on cerebellar structure, function, or cerebellar-dependent behavioral tasks. A total of 348 unique records were screened, and 40 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The most consistent findings include (1) increases in cerebellar gray matter volume after chronic cannabis use, (2) alteration of cerebellar resting state activity after acute or chronic use, and (3) deficits in memory, decision making, and associative learning. Age of onset and higher exposure to cannabis use were frequently associated with increased cannabis-induced alterations. Chronic cannabis use is associated with alterations in cerebellar structure and function, as well as with deficits in behavioral paradigms that involve the cerebellum (eg, eyeblink conditioning, memory, and decision making). Future studies should consider tobacco as confounding factor and use standardized methods for assessing cannabis use. Paradigms exploring the functional activity of the cerebellum may prove useful as monitoring tools of cannabis-induced impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrysanthi Blithikioti
- Grup de Recerca en Addiccions Clínic (GRAC)Institut Clínic de Neurociències Barcelona Spain
- IDIBAPSInstitut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer Barcelona Spain
- Hospital ClínicUniversitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Laia Miquel
- Grup de Recerca en Addiccions Clínic (GRAC)Institut Clínic de Neurociències Barcelona Spain
- IDIBAPSInstitut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer Barcelona Spain
- Hospital ClínicUniversitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Albert Batalla
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht the Netherlands
- Nijmegen Institute for Scientist‐Practitioners in Addiction (NISPA)Radboud University Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Belen Rubio
- Laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive SystemsInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology Barcelona Spain
| | - Giovanni Maffei
- Laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive SystemsInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology Barcelona Spain
| | - Ivan Herreros
- Laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive SystemsInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology Barcelona Spain
| | - Antoni Gual
- Grup de Recerca en Addiccions Clínic (GRAC)Institut Clínic de Neurociències Barcelona Spain
- IDIBAPSInstitut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer Barcelona Spain
- Hospital ClínicUniversitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Paul Verschure
- Laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive SystemsInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology Barcelona Spain
- ICREAInstitucio Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluis Companys Barcelona Spain
| | - Mercedes Balcells‐Oliveró
- Grup de Recerca en Addiccions Clínic (GRAC)Institut Clínic de Neurociències Barcelona Spain
- IDIBAPSInstitut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer Barcelona Spain
- Hospital ClínicUniversitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
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29
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Chen MK, Mecca AP, Naganawa M, Finnema SJ, Toyonaga T, Lin SF, Najafzadeh S, Ropchan J, Lu Y, McDonald JW, Michalak HR, Nabulsi NB, Arnsten AFT, Huang Y, Carson RE, van Dyck CH. Assessing Synaptic Density in Alzheimer Disease With Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A Positron Emission Tomographic Imaging. JAMA Neurol 2019; 75:1215-1224. [PMID: 30014145 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.1836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 277] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Importance Synaptic loss is well established as the major structural correlate of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease (AD). The ability to measure synaptic density in vivo could accelerate the development of disease-modifying treatments for AD. Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A is an essential vesicle membrane protein expressed in virtually all synapses and could serve as a suitable target for synaptic density. Objective To compare hippocampal synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) binding in participants with AD and cognitively normal participants using positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study recruited 10 participants with AD and 11 participants who were cognitively normal between November 2015 and June 2017. We hypothesized a reduction in hippocampal SV2A binding in AD, based on the early degeneration of entorhinal cortical cell projections to the hippocampus (via the perforant path) and hippocampal SV2A reductions that had been observed in postmortem studies. Participants underwent high-resolution PET scanning with ((R)-1-((3-(11C-methyl-11C)pyridin-4-yl)methyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one), a compound more commonly known as 11C-UCB-J, for SV2A. They also underwent high-resolution PET scanning with carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B (11C-PiB) for β-amyloid, magnetic resonance imaging, and cognitive and neurologic evaluation. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes were 11C-UCB-J-specific binding (binding potential [BPND]) via PET imaging in brain regions of interest in participants with AD and participants who were cognitively normal. Results Ten participants with AD (5 male and 5 female; mean [SD] age, 72.7 [6.3] years; 10 [100%] β-amyloid positive) were compared with 11 participants who were cognitively normal (5 male and 6 female; mean [SD] age, 72.9 [8.7] years; 11 [100%] β-amyloid negative). Participants with AD spanned the disease stages from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 5) to mild dementia (n = 5). Participants with AD had significant reduction in hippocampal SV2A specific binding (41%) compared with cognitively normal participants, as assessed by 11C-UCB-J-PET BPND (cognitively normal participants: mean [SD] BPND, 1.47 [0.37]; participants with AD: 0.87 [0.50]; P = .005). These reductions remained significant after correction for atrophy (ie, partial volume correction; participants who were cognitively normal: mean [SD], 2.71 [0.46]; participants with AD: 2.15 [0.55]; P = .02). Hippocampal SV2A-specific binding BPND was correlated with a composite episodic memory score in the overall sample (R = 0.56; P = .01). Conclusions and Relevance To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate synaptic density in vivo in AD using 11C-UCB-J-PET imaging. This approach may provide a direct measure of synaptic density, and it therefore holds promise as an in vivo biomarker for AD and as an outcome measure for trials of disease-modifying therapies, particularly those targeted at the preservation and restoration of synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Kai Chen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Adam P Mecca
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Mika Naganawa
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Sjoerd J Finnema
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Takuya Toyonaga
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Shu-Fei Lin
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Soheila Najafzadeh
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jim Ropchan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Yihuan Lu
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Julia W McDonald
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Hannah R Michalak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Nabeel B Nabulsi
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Amy F T Arnsten
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Yiyun Huang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Richard E Carson
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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30
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Zhang R, Volkow ND. Brain default-mode network dysfunction in addiction. Neuroimage 2019; 200:313-331. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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31
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Newman SD, Cheng H, Schnakenberg Martin A, Dydak U, Dharmadhikari S, Hetrick W, O’Donnell B. An Investigation of Neurochemical Changes in Chronic Cannabis Users. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:318. [PMID: 31607877 PMCID: PMC6761299 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
With the legalization of recreational cannabis (CB) the characterization of how it may impact brain chemistry is essential. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to examine neurometabolite concentrations in the dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) in chronic CB users (N = 26; 10 females) and controls (N = 24; 10 females). The concentrations of glutamate (Glu), total creatine (tCr), choline (Cho), total N-acetylaspartate (tNAA), and myo-inositol (mI) were estimated using LCModel. The ANCOVAs failed to show significant differences between controls and CB users. Regression analyses were then performed on the CB group to model each neurometabolite to determine its relationship to monthly CB use, sex, the interaction between CB use and sex. tCr was found to be predicted by both monthly CB use and sex. While the regression model was not significant the relationship between monthly CB use and Glu appears to be modulated by sex with the effect of monthly use (dose) being stronger in males. tNAA failed to show an effect of CB use but did reveal an effect of sex with females showing larger tNAA levels. Although the results presented are preliminary due to the small sample size they do guide future research. The results presented provide direction for further studies as they suggest that dose may significantly influence the observance of CB effects and that those effects may be modulated by sex. Studies with significantly larger sample sizes designed specifically to examine individuals with varying usage as well as sex effects are necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharlene D. Newman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Hu Cheng
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | | | - Ulrike Dydak
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Shalmali Dharmadhikari
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - William Hetrick
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Brian O’Donnell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Evans M, Ogeil RP, Phillips JG. Cannabis, Decision-Making, and Online Assistance Seeking. Am J Addict 2019; 28:473-479. [PMID: 31532567 DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Maladaptive decision-making strategies could contribute to cannabis-related problems, as some individuals may neither select safe patterns of cannabis use, nor seek treatment. METHODS To explore decision-making styles and their relationship to cannabis-related harm, 153 respondents completed the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R), the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire (MDMQ), and answered questions about their willingness to seek online: (1) further information or (2) treatment for cannabis-related issues. RESULTS Multiple regression considered relationships between problematic cannabis use, decision-making style, and cannabis use within the past month. Subscales of the CUDIT-R revealed that: (1) hazardous use was associated with higher hypervigilance and higher decisional self-esteem; (2) dependence symptoms were associated with lower vigilance and higher procrastination; and (3) harmful use was associated with higher procrastination. People with symptoms of CUD were less likely to seek further help or support online if prone to procrastination or buckpasssing. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Decisional style influenced cannabis use and symptoms. Those people with cannabis-related problems that did not seek online assistance were defensively avoidant. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Procrastination is a feature of problematic cannabis use. Online offers of assistance may be ignored by defensively avoidant CUD clients. (Am J Addict 2019;00:1-7).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Evans
- Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Akoranga Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Rowan P Ogeil
- Population Health, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University and Turning Point, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - James G Phillips
- Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Akoranga Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
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Demiral ŞB, Tomasi D, Wiers CE, Manza P, Shokri-Kojori E, Studentsova Y, Wang GJ, Volkow ND. Methylphenidate's effects on thalamic metabolism and functional connectivity in cannabis abusers and healthy controls. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1389-1397. [PMID: 30504928 PMCID: PMC6785138 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0287-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Methylphenidate (MPH) is a first line treatment for ADHD and is also misused as a purported cognitive enhancer, yet its effects on brain function are still poorly understood. Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies showed that MPH altered cortico-striatal resting functional connectivity (RFC). Here we investigated the effects of MPH in thalamic connectivity since the thalamus modulates striato-cortical signaling. We hypothesized that MPH would increase thalamic connectivity and metabolism, and that this response would be blunted in cannabis abusers. For this purpose, we measured RFC in seven thalamic nuclei using fMRI and brain glucose metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in sixteen healthy controls and thirteen participants with cannabis use disorder (CUD) twice after placebo and after MPH (0.5 mg/kg, iv). MPH significantly increased thalamo-cerebellar connectivity and cerebellar metabolism to the same extent in both groups. Group comparisons revealed that in CUD compared to controls, metabolism in nucleus accumbens was lower for the placebo and MPH measures, that MPH-induced increases in thalamic metabolism were blunted, and that enhanced negative connectivity between thalamus and accumbens in CUD was normalized by MPH (reducing negative connectivity). Our findings identify the thalamus as a target of MPH, which increased its metabolism and connectivity. The reduced metabolism in nucleus accumbens and the disrupted thalamo-accumbens connectivity (enhanced negative connectivity) in CUD is consistent with impaired reactivity of the brain reward's circuit. MPH's normalization of thalamo-accumbens connectivity (reduced negative connectivity) brings forth its potential therapeutic value in CUD, which merits investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Şükrü Barış Demiral
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. .,Behavioral Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
| | - Dardo Tomasi
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Corinde E. Wiers
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Peter Manza
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Ehsan Shokri-Kojori
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Yana Studentsova
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Gene-Jack Wang
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Nora D. Volkow
- 0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA ,0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
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Zehra A, Burns J, Liu CK, Manza P, Wiers CE, Volkow ND, Wang GJ. Cannabis Addiction and the Brain: a Review. FOCUS: JOURNAL OF LIFE LONG LEARNING IN PSYCHIATRY 2019; 17:169-182. [PMID: 32021587 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.17204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
(©Zehra A, Liuck, Manza P, Wiers CE, Volkow ND Wergh J, 2018. Reprinted with permission from Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology (2018) 13:438-452).
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Wang GJ, Wiers CE, Shumay E, Tomasi D, Yuan K, Wong CT, Logan J, Fowler JS, Volkow ND. Expectation effects on brain dopamine responses to methylphenidate in cocaine use disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:93. [PMID: 30770780 PMCID: PMC6377670 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0421-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The response to drugs of abuse is affected by expectation, which is modulated in part by dopamine (DA), which encodes for a reward prediction error. Here we assessed the effect of expectation on methylphenidate (MP)-induced striatal DA changes in 23 participants with an active cocaine use disorder (CUD) and 23 healthy controls (HC) using [11C]raclopride and PET both after placebo (PL) and after MP (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.). Brain dopamine D2 and D3 receptor availability (D2R: non-displaceable binding potential (BPND)) was measured under four conditions in randomized order: (1) expecting PL/receiving PL, (2) expecting PL/receiving MP, (3) expecting MP/receiving PL, and (4) expecting MP/receiving MP. Expecting MP increased pulse rate compared to expecting PL. Receiving MP decreased D2R in striatum compared to PL, indicating MP-induced striatal DA release, and this effect was significantly blunted in CUD versus HC consistent with prior findings of decreased striatal dopamine responses both in active and detoxified CUD. There was a group × challenge × expectation effect in caudate and midbrain, with expectation of MP increasing MP-induced DA release in HC but not in CUD, and expectation of PL showing a trend to increase MP-induced DA release in CUD but not in HC. These results are consistent with the role of DA in reward prediction error in the human brain: decreasing DA signaling when rewards are less than expected (blunted DA increases to MP in CUD) and increasing them when greater than expected (for PL in CUD reflecting conditioned responses to injection). Our findings also document disruption of the expectation of drug effects in dopamine signaling in participants with CUD compared to non-addicted individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene-Jack Wang
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1013, USA.
| | - Corinde E. Wiers
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA
| | - Elena Shumay
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA
| | - Dardo Tomasi
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA
| | - Kai Yuan
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA ,0000 0001 0707 115Xgrid.440736.2School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, 710071 Xi’an, Shaanxi China
| | - Christopher T. Wong
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA
| | - Jean Logan
- 0000 0004 1936 8753grid.137628.9Department of Radiology, New York University, New York, NY 11793 USA
| | - Joanna S. Fowler
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA ,0000 0001 2188 4229grid.202665.5Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 USA
| | - Nora D. Volkow
- 0000 0004 0481 4802grid.420085.bLaboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892-1013 USA ,0000 0001 2297 5165grid.94365.3dNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
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36
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Moreno-Rius J. The Cerebellum, THC, and Cannabis Addiction: Findings from Animal and Human Studies. THE CEREBELLUM 2019; 18:593-604. [DOI: 10.1007/s12311-018-0993-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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37
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Huang AS, Mitchell JA, Haber SN, Alia-Klein N, Goldstein RZ. The thalamus in drug addiction: from rodents to humans. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0028. [PMID: 29352027 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Impairments in response inhibition and salience attribution (iRISA) have been proposed to underlie the clinical symptoms of drug addiction as mediated by cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical networks. The bulk of evidence supporting the iRISA model comes from neuroimaging research that has focused on cortical and striatal influences with less emphasis on the role of the thalamus. Here, we highlight the importance of the thalamus in drug addiction, focusing on animal literature findings on thalamic nuclei in the context of drug-seeking, structural and functional changes of the thalamus as measured by imaging studies in human drug addiction, particularly during drug cue and non-drug reward processing, and response inhibition tasks. Findings from the animal literature suggest that the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, the lateral habenula and the mediodorsal nucleus may be involved in the reinstatement, extinction and expression of drug-seeking behaviours. In support of the iRISA model, the human addiction imaging literature demonstrates enhanced thalamus activation when reacting to drug cues and reduced thalamus activation during response inhibition. This pattern of response was further associated with the severity of, and relapse in, drug addiction. Future animal studies could widen their field of focus by investigating the specific role(s) of different thalamic nuclei in different phases of the addiction cycle. Similarly, future human imaging studies should aim to specifically delineate the structure and function of different thalamic nuclei, for example, through the application of advanced imaging protocols at higher magnetic fields (7 Tesla).This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Of mice and mental health: facilitating dialogue between basic and clinical neuroscientists'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Suzanne N Haber
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Nelly Alia-Klein
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rita Z Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA .,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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38
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Perugi G, Pallucchini A, Rizzato S, De Rossi P, Sani G, Maremmani AG, Pinzone V, Maremmani I. Pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder with comorbid substance-use disorder (SUD). Expert Opin Pharmacother 2018; 20:343-355. [PMID: 30513231 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2018.1551878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Substance use disorder (SUD) is very common amongst patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The two disorders share partially overlapping features and SUD in ADHD is characterized by an early age of onset, high likelihood of poly-substance use, increased risk of suicide attempts, more hospitalizations, and scarce treatment adherence. AREAS COVERED This paper reviews randomized active comparator-controlled or placebo-controlled trials evaluating the use of pharmacotherapy in patients with ADHD and SUD. The authors include open label and observational studies. EXPERT OPINION Stimulant and non-stimulant treatments should be used to aid ADHD symptomatology in patients with SUD. SUD seems to be less responsive, suggesting a relative independence of the two conditions. For this reason, the association of ADHD-specific drugs and SUD-treatments should be recommended in a large proportion of patients suffering from both disorders. The rate and the quality of ADHD response to specific pharmacological treatments is highly variable, depending on the dose and the duration of the treatment, the age of the patient, and the severity and the chronicity of addiction. Further research is necessary to explore the divergences in treatment response of different ADHD subtypes in different subtypes of SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Perugi
- a Department of Experimental and Clinic Medicine, Section of Psychiatry , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Alessandro Pallucchini
- a Department of Experimental and Clinic Medicine, Section of Psychiatry , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Salvatore Rizzato
- b Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy
| | - Pietro De Rossi
- c NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs) , Sapienza University of Rome.,d School of Medicine and Psychology , Sant'Andrea Hospital , Rome , Italy.,e Department of Neurology and Psychiatry , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.,f ASL Roma 5 , Rome , Italy
| | - Gabriele Sani
- c NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs) , Sapienza University of Rome.,d School of Medicine and Psychology , Sant'Andrea Hospital , Rome , Italy.,e Department of Neurology and Psychiatry , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy
| | - Angelo Gi Maremmani
- g Dipartimento di Psichiatria , Unità Sanitaria della Toscana nord-occidentale, Zona della Versilia , Viareggio , Italia
| | - Vito Pinzone
- b Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy
| | - Icro Maremmani
- a Department of Experimental and Clinic Medicine, Section of Psychiatry , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy
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39
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Zehra A, Burns J, Liu CK, Manza P, Wiers CE, Volkow ND, Wang GJ. Cannabis Addiction and the Brain: a Review. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2018; 13:438-452. [PMID: 29556883 PMCID: PMC6223748 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-018-9782-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis is the most commonly used substance of abuse in the United States after alcohol and tobacco. With a recent increase in the rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and a decrease in the perceived risk of cannabis use, it is imperative to assess the addictive potential of cannabis. Here we evaluate cannabis use through the neurobiological model of addiction proposed by Koob and Volkow. The model proposes that repeated substance abuse drives neurobiological changes in the brain that can be separated into three distinct stages, each of which perpetuates the cycle of addiction. Here we review previous research on the acute and long-term effects of cannabis use on the brain and behavior, and find that the three-stage framework of addiction applies to CUD in a manner similar to other drugs of abuse, albeit with some slight differences. These findings highlight the urgent need to conduct research that elucidates specific neurobiological changes associated with CUD in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amna Zehra
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jamie Burns
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Christopher Kure Liu
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Peter Manza
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Corinde E Wiers
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Nora D Volkow
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Gene-Jack Wang
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive 31, Room B2L124, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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40
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Bloomfield MAP, Hindocha C, Green SF, Wall MB, Lees R, Petrilli K, Costello H, Ogunbiyi MO, Bossong MG, Freeman TP. The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies. Pharmacol Ther 2018; 195:132-161. [PMID: 30347211 PMCID: PMC6416743 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The laws governing cannabis are evolving worldwide and associated with changing patterns of use. The main psychoactive drug in cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a partial agonist at the endocannabinoid CB1 receptor. Acutely, cannabis and THC produce a range of effects on several neurocognitive and pharmacological systems. These include effects on executive, emotional, reward and memory processing via direct interactions with the endocannabinoid system and indirect effects on the glutamatergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic systems. Cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in some forms of cannabis, may offset some of these acute effects. Heavy repeated cannabis use, particularly during adolescence, has been associated with adverse effects on these systems, which increase the risk of mental illnesses including addiction and psychosis. Here, we provide a comprehensive state of the art review on the acute and chronic neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis by synthesizing the available neuroimaging research in humans. We describe the effects of drug exposure during development, implications for understanding psychosis and cannabis use disorder, and methodological considerations. Greater understanding of the precise mechanisms underlying the effects of cannabis may also give rise to new treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A P Bloomfield
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom; NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian F Green
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Invicro UK, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Lees
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Petrilli
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Harry Costello
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - M Olabisi Ogunbiyi
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Bath, United Kingdom; National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
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Zhou F, Zimmermann K, Xin F, Scheele D, Dau W, Banger M, Weber B, Hurlemann R, Kendrick KM, Becker B. Shifted balance of dorsal versus ventral striatal communication with frontal reward and regulatory regions in cannabis-dependent males. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:5062-5073. [PMID: 30277629 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition from voluntary to addictive behavior is characterized by a loss of regulatory control in favor of reward driven behavior. Animal models indicate that this process is neurally underpinned by a shift in ventral-dorsal striatal control of behavior; however, this shift has not been directly examined in humans. The present resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study employed a two-step approach to: (a) precisely map striatal alterations using a novel, data-driven network classification strategy combining intrinsic connectivity contrast with multivoxel pattern analysis and, (b) to determine whether a ventral to dorsal striatal shift in connectivity with reward and regulatory control regions can be observed in abstinent (28 days) male cannabis-dependent individuals (n = 24) relative to matched controls (n = 28). Network classification revealed that the groups can be reliably discriminated by global connectivity profiles of two striatal regions that mapped onto the ventral (nucleus accumbens) and dorsal striatum (caudate). Subsequent functional connectivity analysis demonstrated a relative shift between ventral and dorsal striatal communication with fronto-limbic regions that have been consistently involved in reward processing (rostral anterior cingulate cortex [ACC]) and executive/regulatory functions (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex [PFC]). Specifically, in the cannabis-dependent subjects, connectivity between the ventral striatum with the rostral ACC increased, whereas both striatal regions were uncoupled from the regulatory dorsomedial PFC. Together, these findings suggest a shift in the balance between dorsal and ventral striatal control in cannabis dependence. Similar changes have been observed in animal models and may promote the loss of control central to addictive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Kaeli Zimmermann
- Department of Psychiatry and Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Fei Xin
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Dirk Scheele
- Department of Psychiatry and Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Dau
- Department of Addiction and Psychotherapy, LVR-Clinic Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus Banger
- Department of Addiction and Psychotherapy, LVR-Clinic Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bernd Weber
- Center for Economics and Neuroscience, Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurocognition, Life & Brain Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - René Hurlemann
- Department of Psychiatry and Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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Sami MB, Bhattacharyya S. Are cannabis-using and non-using patients different groups? Towards understanding the neurobiology of cannabis use in psychotic disorders. J Psychopharmacol 2018; 32:825-849. [PMID: 29591635 PMCID: PMC6058406 DOI: 10.1177/0269881118760662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
A substantial body of credible evidence has accumulated that suggest that cannabis use is an important potentially preventable risk factor for the development of psychotic illness and its worse prognosis following the onset of psychosis. Here we summarize the relevant evidence to argue that the time has come to investigate the neurobiological effects of cannabis in patients with psychotic disorders. In the first section we summarize evidence from longitudinal studies that controlled for a range of potential confounders of the association of cannabis use with increased risk of developing psychotic disorders, increased risk of hospitalization, frequent and longer hospital stays, and failure of treatment with medications for psychosis in those with established illness. Although some evidence has emerged that cannabis-using and non-using patients with psychotic disorders may have distinct patterns of neurocognitive and neurodevelopmental impairments, the biological underpinnings of the effects of cannabis remain to be fully elucidated. In the second and third sections we undertake a systematic review of 70 studies, including over 3000 patients with psychotic disorders or at increased risk of psychotic disorder, in order to delineate potential neurobiological and neurochemical mechanisms that may underlie the effects of cannabis in psychotic disorders and suggest avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Musa Basseer Sami
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
- Lambeth Early Onset Inpatient Unit, Lambeth Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Sagnik Bhattacharyya
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
- Lambeth Early Onset Inpatient Unit, Lambeth Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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Amen DG, Darmal B, Raji CA, Bao W, Jorandby L, Meysami S, Raghavendra CS. Discriminative Properties of Hippocampal Hypoperfusion in Marijuana Users Compared to Healthy Controls: Implications for Marijuana Administration in Alzheimer's Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 56:261-273. [PMID: 27886010 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have evaluated the impact of marijuana use on regional cerebral blood flow. OBJECTIVE To determine whether perfusion in specific brain regions on functional neuroimaging, including those affected by Alzheimer's disease pathology, are abnormal in marijuana users compared to controls. METHOD Persons with a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder by DSM-IV and DSM-V criteria (n = 982) were compared to controls (n = 92) with perfusion neuroimaging with SPECT at rest and at a concentration task. Perfusion estimates were quantified using a standard atlas. Cerebral perfusion differences were calculated using one-way ANOVA. Diagnostic separation was determined with discriminant analysis of all subjects. Feature selection with a minimum redundancy maximum relevancy (mRMR) identified predictive regions in a subset of marijuana users (n = 436) with reduced psychiatric co-morbidities. RESULTS Marijuana users showed lower cerebral perfusion on average (p < 0.05). Discriminant analysis distinguished marijuana users from controls with correct classification of 96% and leave one out cross-validation of 92%. With concentration SPECT regions, there was correct classification of 95% with a leave-one-out cross validation of 90%. AUC analysis for concentration SPECT regions showed 95% accuracy, 90% sensitivity, and 83% specificity. The mRMR analysis showed right hippocampal hypoperfusion on concentration SPECT imaging was the most predictive in separating marijuana subjects from controls. CONCLUSION Multiple brain regions show low perfusion on SPECT in marijuana users. The most predictive region distinguishing marijuana users from healthy controls, the hippocampus, is a key target of Alzheimer's disease pathology. This study raises the possibility of deleterious brain effects of marijuana use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cyrus A Raji
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Weining Bao
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Cauligi S Raghavendra
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Cooper ZD, Craft RM. Sex-Dependent Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A Translational Perspective. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:34-51. [PMID: 28811670 PMCID: PMC5719093 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent policy changes have led to significant increases in the use of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes. Although men are more likely to endorse past month cannabis use and are more frequently diagnosed with Cannabis Use Disorder relative to women, a growing proportion of medical cannabis users are reported to be women. The increased popularity of cannabis for medical purposes and the narrowing gap in prevalence of use between men and women raises questions regarding sex-dependent effects related to therapeutic efficacy and negative health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids. The objective of this review is to provide a translational perspective on the sex-dependent effects of cannabis and cannabinoids by synthesizing findings from preclinical and clinical studies focused on sex comparisons of their therapeutic potential and abuse liability, two specific areas that are of significant public health relevance. Hormonal and pharmacological mechanisms that may underlie sex differences in the effects of cannabis and cannabinoids are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziva D Cooper
- Division on Substance Abuse, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca M Craft
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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Manza P, Tomasi D, Volkow ND. Subcortical Local Functional Hyperconnectivity in Cannabis Dependence. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2017; 3:285-293. [PMID: 29486870 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis abuse (CA) has been associated with psychopathology, including negative emotionality and higher risk of psychosis, particularly with early age of initiation. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. Because aberrant dopamine signaling is implicated in cannabis-associated psychopathology, we hypothesized that regular CA would be associated with altered resting-state functional connectivity in dopamine midbrain-striatal circuits. METHODS We examined resting-state brain activity of subcortical regions in 441 young adults from the Human Connectome Project, including 30 subjects with CA meeting DSM-IV criteria for dependence and 30 control subjects matched on age, sex, education, body mass index, anxiety, depression, and alcohol and tobacco usage. RESULTS Across all subjects, local functional connectivity density hubs in subcortical regions were most prominent in ventral striatum, hippocampus, amygdala, dorsal midbrain, and posterior-ventral brainstem. As hypothesized, subjects with CA showed markedly increased local functional connectivity density relative to control subjects, not only in ventral striatum (where nucleus accumbens is located) and midbrain (where substantia nigra and ventral tegmental nuclei are located) but also in brainstem and lateral thalamus. These effects were observed in the absence of significant differences in subcortical volumes and were most pronounced in individuals who began cannabis use earliest in life and who reported high levels of negative emotionality. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings suggest that chronic CA is associated with changes in resting-state brain function, particularly in dopaminergic nuclei implicated in psychosis but that are also critical for habit formation and reward processing. These results shed light on neurobiological differences that may be relevant to psychopathology associated with cannabis use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Manza
- National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Dardo Tomasi
- National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nora D Volkow
- National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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Abstract
Purpose of the Review Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance worldwide. In recent decades, highly concentrated products have flooded the market, and prevalence rates have increased. Gender differences exist in cannabis use, as men have higher prevalence of both cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD), while women progress more rapidly from first use to CUD. This paper reviews findings from preclinical and human studies examining the sex-specific neurobiological underpinnings of cannabis use and CUD, and associations with psychiatric symptoms. Recent Findings Sex differences exist in the endocannabinoid system, in cannabis exposure effects on brain structure and function, and in the co-occurrence of cannabis use with symptoms of anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. In female cannabis users, anxiety symptoms correlate with larger amygdala volume and social anxiety disorder symptoms correlate with CUD symptoms. Female cannabis users are reported to be especially vulnerable to earlier onset of schizophrenia, and mixed trends emerge in the correlation of depressive symptoms with cannabis exposure in females and males. Summary As prevalence of cannabis use may continue to increase given the shifting policy landscape regarding marijuana laws, understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of cannabis exposure in females and males is key. Examining these mechanisms may help inform future research on sex-specific pharmacological and behavioral interventions for women and men with high-risk cannabis use, comorbid psychiatric disease, and CUD.
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Albertella L, Le Pelley ME, Copeland J. Cannabis use in early adolescence is associated with higher negative schizotypy in females. Eur Psychiatry 2017; 45:235-241. [PMID: 28957793 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study examined the relationship between early onset cannabis use (before age 16) and different schizotypy dimensions, and whether gender moderates these associations. Participants were 162 cannabis users, aged 15-24 years, who completed an online assessment examining alcohol and other drug use, psychological distress, and schizotypy. Participants were divided according to whether or not they had started using cannabis before the age of 16 (early onset=47; later onset=115) and gender (males=66; females=96). The interaction between gender and onset group was significantly associated with the dimension of introvertive anhedonia. Follow-up analyses showed that early onset cannabis use was associated with higher levels of introvertive anhedonia in females only. The current findings suggest that gender is an important moderator in the association between early onset cannabis use, schizotypy, and possibly, psychosis risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Albertella
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Brain and Mental Health Laboratory, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - M E Le Pelley
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - J Copeland
- Cannabis Information and Support, Sydney, NSW, Australia; National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, UNSW Sydney, Randwick, NSW, Australia
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Setlow B, Bizon JL. Adolescent Cannabinoid Use and Cognition; Unexpected Results from a Rat Model of Cannabinoid Self-Administration. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:983-984. [PMID: 27654216 PMCID: PMC5506783 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2016] [Revised: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barry Setlow
- Department of Psychiatry; University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA,Department of Neuroscience; University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA,Department of Psychology; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, P.O. Box 100256, Gainesville, FL 32610-0256, USA, Tel: +352 294 5203, Fax: 352 392 9887, E-mail:
| | - Jennifer L Bizon
- Department of Psychiatry; University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA,Department of Neuroscience; University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Abstract
Maladaptive decision-making is a cardinal feature of drug use, contributing to ongoing use, and reflecting alterations in how drug users assess uncertain reward value. Accumulating evidence indicates the consequences of heavy marijuana use are worse for female versus male animals and humans, but research assessing sex differences in reward-related decision-making among marijuana users remains scarce. We examined sex differences in the subjective valuation of certain and uncertain rewards among heavy marijuana users (52; 26 male and 26 female) and controls (52; 26 male and 26 female). We offered male and female heavy marijuana users and controls monetary rewards of certain and uncertain (probabilistic) values. We measured how preferences for uncertain rewards varied by the objective value of those rewards, moderators of reward uncertainty, Marijuana Group and Sex. Men were more sensitive to changes in the objective value of uncertain rewards than women. However, this effect of Sex differed by Marijuana Group. Female heavy marijuana users were more sensitive to changes in uncertain reward value, particularly when the "stakes" were high (i.e., greater difference between potential uncertain rewards), than female controls. Female heavy marijuana users' sensitivity to changes in the value of high stakes uncertain rewards was comparable to male marijuana users and controls. In contrast, male marijuana users' sensitivity to changes in the value of high stakes uncertain rewards did not differ from male controls. These results suggest sex differences in sensitivity to high risk rewards may be one pathway contributing to severer consequences of heavy marijuana use among women. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn R. Hefner
- Mental Illness Research, Education & Clinical Centers, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, USA,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53076, USA
| | - Mark. J. Starr
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53076, USA
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Phillips JG, Ogeil RP. Cannabis, alcohol use, psychological distress, and decision-making style. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2016; 39:670-681. [PMID: 27876440 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2016.1255311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There have been suggestions of hypofrontality in cannabis users. To understand cannabis-related differences in decisional processes, Janis and Mann's conflict model of decision making was applied to recreational cannabis smokers who varied in their alcohol use and level of psychological distress. METHOD An online sample of recreational substance users (114 male, 119 female) completed the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Kessler's Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) for cannabis. RESULTS Multivariate analysis of variance examined self-reported decision-making styles as a function of gender, recent cannabis use, risky alcohol consumption, and levels of psychological distress. Psychological distress was associated with lower decisional self-esteem and higher levels of procrastination and buck-passing. There were gender differences associated with cannabis use. Female cannabis users reported higher levels of hypervigilance, while male cannabis users reported lower levels of buck-passing. CONCLUSIONS Although there was little indication of an avoidant decisional style in cannabis users, the results suggest that cannabis affects decisional processes, contributing to panic in females and impulsivity in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- James G Phillips
- a Psychology Department , Auckland University of Technology , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Rowan P Ogeil
- b Eastern Health Clinical School , Monash University, and Turning Point, Eastern Health , Clayton , Australia
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