Cannabis Use in Adolescence : A Review of Neuroimaging Findings Yann Chye, Erynn Christensen & Murat Yücel Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 2019 Doi : 10.1080/15504263.2019.1636171 ABSTRACT Objective : Shifting policies and widespread acceptance of cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes have fueled worries of increased cannabis initiation and use in adolescents. In particular, the adolescent period is thought to be associated with an increased susceptibility to the potential harms of repeated cannabis use, due to being a critical period for neuromaturational events in the brain. This review investigates the neuroimaging evidence of brain harms attributable to adolescent cannabis use. Methods : PubMed and Scopus searches were [...]
Lire la suiteAssociations of Parental Marijuana Use With Offspring Marijuana, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use and Opioid Misuse Bertha K. Madras, Beth Han, Wilson M. Compton, Christopher M. Jones, Elizabeth I. Lopez, Elinore F. McCance-Katz JAMA Network Open, 2019, 2, (11), e1916015. doi : 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.16015 Abstract IMPORTANCE : Marijuana use is increasing among adults and often co-occurs with other substance use; therefore, it is important to examine whether parental marijuana use is associated with elevated risk of substance use among offspring living in the same household. OBJECTIVE : To examine associations of parental marijuana use with offspring marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use and opioid misuse. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS : [...]
Lire la suiteEndocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity and substance use disorders E. Fernandez-Espejo, L. Nunez-Dominguez Neurologia, 2019 Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved. doi : 10.1016/j.nrl.2018.12.004 Abstract Drugs impact brain reward circuits, causing dependence and addiction, in a condition currently described as substance use disorders. Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in these circuits are crucial in the development of addictive behaviour, and endocannabinoids, particularly anandamide and 2-arachidonyl-glycerol, participate in normal neuroplasticity. Substance use disorders are known to be associated with disruption of endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity, among other phenomena. Endocannabinoids mediate neuroplasticity in the short and the long term. In the short term, [...]
Lire la suiteAcceptance of pharmaceutical cannabis substitution by cannabis using patients with schizophrenia Jan van Amsterdam, Jojanneke Vervloet, Gerdien de Weert, Victor J. A. Buwalda, Anna E. Goudriaan and Wim van den Brink Harm Reduction Journal, 2018, 15, 47, 1-4. Doi : 10.1186/s12954-018-0253-7 Abstract Background : Cannabis-smoking patients with a psychotic disorder have poorer disease outcomes than non-cannabis-smoking patients with poorest outcomes in patients smoking high-potency cannabis (HPC) containing high Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and low cannabidiol (CBD). Quitting cannabis smoking or substitution of HPC by cannabis variants containing less THC and/or more CBD may benefit these patients. The present study explores whether daily HPC-smoking patients with schizophrenia accept smoking [...]
Lire la suiteThe Role of Cannabis within an Emerging Perspective on Schizophrenia Jegason P. Diviant, Jacob M. Vigil, and Sarah S. Stith Medicines, 2018, 5, 86, 1-11. doi : 10.3390/medicines5030086 Abstract Background : Approximately 0.5% of the population is diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia, under the prevailing view that the pathology is best treated using pharmaceutical medications that act on monoamine receptors. Methods : We briefly review evidence on the impact of environmental forces, particularly the effect of autoimmune activity, in the expression of schizophrenic profiles and the role of Cannabis therapy for regulating immunological functioning. Results : A review of the literature shows that phytocannabinoid consumption may [...]
Lire la suiteEmergency department presentations related to acute toxicity following recreational use of cannabis products in Switzerland Yasmin Schmid, Irene Scholz, Laura Mueller, Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos, Alessandro Ceschi, Matthias E. Liechti, Evangelia Liakoni Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107726 A B S T R A C T Background : Concomitant use of cannabis and other psychoactive substances is common and it is often difficult to differentiate its acute effects from those of other substances. This study aimed to characterize the acute toxicity of cannabis with and without co-use of other substances. Methods : Retrospective analysis of cases presenting at the emergency departments of three large hospitals in Switzerland due [...]
Lire la suiteAssociation Between Marijuana Use and Risk of Cancer. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Mehrnaz Ghasemiesfe, Brooke Barrow, Samuel Leonard, Salomeh Keyhani, Deborah Korenstein, JAMA Network Open, 2019, 2, (11), e1916318. doi : 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.16318 Abstract IMPORTANCE : Marijuana use is common and growing in the United States amid a trend toward legalization. Exposure to tobacco smoke is a well-described preventable cause of many cancers; the association of marijuana use with the development of cancer is not clear. OBJECTIVE : To assess the association of marijuana use with cancer development. DATA SOURCES : A search of PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library was conducted on June 11, 2018, and updated [...]
Lire la suiteNeuroanatomical alterations in people with high and low cannabis dependence Valentina Lorenzetti, Yann Chye, Chao Suo, Mark Walterfang, Dan I Lubman, Michael Takagi, Sarah Whittle, Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, Janna Cousijn, Christos Pantelis, Marc Seal, Alex Fornito, Murat Yücel and Nadia Solowij Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2019, 1–8 https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419859077 Abstract Objectives : We aimed to investigate whether severity of cannabis dependence is associated with the neuroanatomy of key brain regions of the stress and reward brain circuits. Methods : To examine dependence-specific regional brain alterations, we compared the volumes of regions relevant to reward and stress, between high-dependence cannabis users (CD+, n = 25), low [...]
Lire la suiteCortical surface morphology in long-term cannabis users : A multi-site MRI study Yann Chye, Chao Suo, Valentina Lorenzetti, Albert Batalla, Janna Cousijn, Anna E Goudriaan, Rocio Martin-Santos, Sarah Whittle, Nadia Solowij, Murat Yücel European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2018, 17, 21, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.11.1110 Abstract Cannabis exerts its psychoactive effect through cannabinoid receptors that are widely distributed across the cortical surface of the human brain. It is suggested that cannabis use may contribute to structural alterations across the cortical surface. In a large, multisite dataset of 120 controls and 141 cannabis users, we examined whether differences in key characteristics of the cortical surface – including cortical thickness, surface area, [...]
Lire la suiteDoes regular cannabis use affect neuroanatomy ? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of structural neuroimaging studies Valentina Lorenzetti, Yann Chye, Pedro Silva, Nadia Solowij, Carl A. Roberts European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 2019 Doi : 10.1007/s00406-019-00979-1 Abstract Regular cannabis use is associated with adverse cognitive and mental health outcomes that have been ascribed to aberrant neuroanatomy in brain regions densely innervated with cannabinoid receptors. Neuroanatomical differences between cannabis users and controls have been assessed in multiple structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies. However, there is heterogeneity in the results leading to cautious interpretation of the data so far. We examined the sMRI [...]
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