Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX, USA.
Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, BioImaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens GA, USA.
Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2018 Jun 30;276:53-64. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.03.008. Epub 2018 Mar 28.
Associations between cannabis use and psychotic disorders suggest that cannabis may be a contributory risk factor in the neurobiology of psychosis. In this study, we examined brain structure characteristics, total and regional gray matter density (GMD), using Voxel Based Morphometry, in psychotic individuals, stratified by history of cannabis use (total n = 109). We also contrasted GMD estimates in individual diagnostic groups (schizophrenia/bipolar I disorder) with and without history of adolescent cannabis use (ACU). Individuals with psychosis as a whole, both with and without history of ACU, had lower total and regional GMD, compared to healthy controls. ACU was associated with attenuated GMD reductions, compared to non-users, especially in the schizophrenia cases, who showed robust GMD reductions in fronto-temporal and parietal cortex, as well as subcortical regions. Notably, total and regional GMD estimates in individuals with psychosis and ACU were not different from controls with no ACU. These data indicate that the history of ACU in psychotic individuals is associated with attenuated GMD abnormalities. Future investigations targeting potential unique etiological and risk factors associated with psychosis in individuals with ACU may help in understanding of the neurobiology of psychotic disorders and novel treatment options for these individuals.
大麻使用与精神病障碍之间的关联表明，大麻可能是精神病神经生物学中的一个促成风险因素。在这项研究中，我们使用基于体素的形态测量学，检查了精神病人的大脑结构特征和总灰质密度（GMD）和区域灰质密度（GMD），这些精神病人按大麻使用史进行了分层（总人数=109）。我们还比较了有和没有青少年大麻使用史（ACU）的个体在个别诊断组（精神分裂症/双相 I 障碍）中的 GMD 估计值。与健康对照组相比，整体精神病患者，无论是否有 ACU 史，总 GMD 和区域 GMD 均较低。与非使用者相比，ACU 与 GMD 降低幅度减小有关，尤其是在精神分裂症病例中，在额颞叶和顶叶皮层以及皮质下区域表现出强烈的 GMD 降低。值得注意的是，有 ACU 的精神病患者的总 GMD 和区域 GMD 估计值与无 ACU 的对照组无差异。这些数据表明，精神病患者的 ACU 史与 GMD 异常程度降低有关。针对与有 ACU 的个体的精神病相关的潜在独特病因和风险因素进行的未来研究，可能有助于了解精神病的神经生物学和这些个体的新治疗选择。
