The 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 suiteAn update on cannabis use disorder with comment on the impact of policy related to therapeutic and recreational cannabis use Alan J. Budney,· Michael J. Sofis,· Jacob T. Borodovsky European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-018-0976-1 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract : Confusion and controversy related to the potential for cannabis use to cause harm, or alternatively to provide benefit, continues globally. This issue has grown in intensity and importance with the increased recognition of the public health implications related to the escalation of the legalization of cannabis and cannabinoid products. This selective overview and commentary attempt to succinctly [...]
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 suiteAdolescent Cannabis Use : What is the Evidence for Functional Brain Alteration ? V. Lorenzetti, S. Alonso-Lanaa, G. J. Youssef, A. Verdejo-Garcia, C. Suo, J. Cousijn, M. Takagi, M. Yücel and N. Solowij Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2016, 22, 1-14. DOI: 10.2174/1381612822666160805155922 Abstract Background : Cannabis use typically commences during adolescence, a period during which the brain undergoes profound remodeling in areas that are high in cannabinoid receptors and that mediate cognitive control and emotion regulation. It is therefore important to determine the impact of adolescent cannabis use on brain function. Objective : We investigate the impact of adolescent cannabis use on brain function by reviewing the functional [...]
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 [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoid-Based Therapies and Brain Development : Potential Harmful Effect of Early Modulation of the Endocannabinoid System Patrícia Schonhofen, Ivi Juliana Bristot, José Alexandre Crippa, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak, Antônio Waldo Zuardi, Richard B. Parsons, Fábio Klamt CNS Drugs, 2018, 32, (Suppl 1), 1-16. Springer Nature Switzerland, Doi : 10.1007/s40263-018-0550-4 Abstract The endocannabinoid retrograde signaling pathway is widely expressed in the central nervous system, where it plays major roles in regulating synaptic plasticity (excitatory and inhibitory) through long-term potentiation and long-term depression. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) components—cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids and synthesis/degradation enzymes—are expressed and are functional from early developmental stages and throughout adolescent cortical development, regulating progenitor [...]
Lire la suitePrevalence and Correlates of Cannabis Use in Outpatients with Serious Mental Illness receiving treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders Jordan Skalisky, Emily Leickly, Oladunni Oluwoye, Sterling M. McPherson, Debra Srebnik, John M. Roll, Richard K. Ries, and Michael G. McDonell Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2017, 2, 1, 133-138. Doi : 10.1089/can.2017.0006 Abstract Introduction : People with serious mental illness (SMI) use cannabis more than any other illicit drug. Cannabis use is associated with increased psychotic symptoms and is highly comorbid with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Despite the national trend toward decriminalization, little is known about the prevalence, correlates, and impact of cannabis use on those with SMI [...]
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