Cannabis Use and Age at Onset of Schizophrenia

Veen, Natalie D.; Selten, Jean-Paul; Tweel, Ingeborg van der; Feller, Wilma G.; Hoek, Hans W.; Kahn, René S.

doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.161.3.501

Cited by 231 publications

(154 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…An earlier onset of psychosis is associated with a more severe course, irrespective of the duration of the illness. 9 The age of criteria onset being significantly different for males and females in this study corresponds to previous findings that the peak ages of onset are 15 to 25 years for men and 25 to 35 years for women. 10 The results indicating a strong association between the use of cannabis and age at onset of psychosis in male schizophrenia patients match those of a study in Dutch male schizophrenia patients.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…10 The results indicating a strong association between the use of cannabis and age at onset of psychosis in male schizophrenia patients match those of a study in Dutch male schizophrenia patients. 9 Early deviant behaviour emerged as the most important factor in determining age of criteria onset in the present study, with the early deviant behaviour group having the oldest age of onset and the more severe group the youngest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

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Cannabis and other variables affecting age at onset in a schizophrenia founder population

et al. 2006

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Cannabis and other variables affecting age at onset in a schizophrenia founder population

et al. 2006

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“…Clinical evidence has confirmed such links. Early-onset cannabis use increases the risk of developing schizophrenia (Arseneault et al, 2002;Fergusson et al, 2003;van Os et al, 2002) as well as a worsen course of the disorder (Green et al, 2004;Veen et al, 2004). Several epidemiological studies report that early regular use of cannabis increases the risk of initiation of the use of other illicit drugs (Agrawal et al, 2004;Fergusson and Horwood, 2000;Lynskey et al, 2003;Yamaguchi and Kandel, 1984), supporting the cannabis gateway hypothesis of cannabis as a steppingstone toward abuse of other drugs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Adolescent Cannabis Exposure Alters Opiate Intake and Opioid Limbic Neuronal Populations in Adult Rats

Ellgren

Spano

Hurd

2006

Neuropsychopharmacol

261

208

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Cannabis use is a hypothesized gateway to subsequent abuse of other drugs such as heroin. We currently assessed whether D-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure during adolescence modulates opiate reinforcement and opioid neural systems in adulthood. Long-Evan male rats received THC (1.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)) or vehicle every third day during postnatal days (PNDs) 28-49. Heroin self-administration behavior (fixed ratio-1; 3-h sessions) was studied from young adulthood (PND 57) into full adults (PND 102). THC-pretreated rats showed an upward shift throughout the heroin self-administration acquisition (30 mg/kg/infusion) phase, whereas control animals maintained the same pattern once stable intake was obtained. Heightened opiate sensitivity in THC animals was also evidenced by higher heroin consumption during the maintenance phase (30 and 60 mg/kg/infusion) and greater responding for moderate-low heroin doses (dose-response curve: 7.5, 15, 30, 60, and 100 mg/kg/injection). Specific disturbance of the endogenous opioid system was also apparent in the brain of adults with adolescent THC exposure. Striatal preproenkephalin mRNA expression was exclusively increased in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell; the relative elevation of preproenkephalin mRNA in the THC rats was maintained even after heroin self-administration. Moreover, m opioid receptor (mOR) GTP-coupling was potentiated in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal brainstem regions in THC-pretreated animals. mOR function in the NAc shell was specifically correlated to heroin intake. The current findings support the gateway hypothesis demonstrating that adolescence cannabis exposure has an enduring impact on hedonic processing resulting in enhanced opiate intake, possibly as a consequence of alterations in limbic opioid neuronal populations.

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“…(Cantwell et al, 1999;Veen et al, 2004;Henquet et al, 2005;Mauri et al, 2006;Koskinen et al, 2010;Mazzoncini et al, 2010;Barrigón et al, 2010). Several studies on schizophrenia have reported that patients with SUD have worse premorbid social functioning (Sevy et al, 2010;Mazzoncini et al, 2010;Compton et al, 2011;Schimmelmann et al, 2011), more severe symptoms at onset (Gearon and Bellack, 2000;Dawe et al, 2011), lower compliance and worse treatment response, thus more inappropriate use of mental health services, (Lambert et al, 2005;de Haan et al, 2007;Schimmelmann et al, 2011) with higher mental health costs (Bartels et al, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does substance use disorder affect clinical expression in first-hospitalization patients with schizophrenia? Analysis of a prospective cohort

Picci

Versino

Oliva

et al. 2013

Psychiatry Research

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Introduction. Although several papers reported a wide range of negative outcomes among patients with both schizophrenia and SUD, only a few studies evaluated the impact of SUD on psychopathology and thus on the length of first-hospitalization. Objectives.To compare clinical expression of first-episode of schizophrenia between inpatients with and without SUD, giving close attention to the length of stay.Methods. 130 inpatients at first-episode of schizophrenia were assigned to SUD or not SUD group depending on SUD diagnosis and were assessed through BPRS at admission, during hospitalization and at discharge. Cross-sectional and longitudinal statistical analysis were performed to investigate differences between groups and also a linear regression was used to evaluate relationship between length of stay and BPRS scores.Results. During the hospitalization there was a more marked improvement of BPRS total score in patients without SUD with a lower length of hospitalization (P<0.001). BPRS score during hospitalization was predictor of higher length of stay.Discussion. The higher severity of psychopathology during the hospitalization suggest possible overlaps of substance induced and withdrawal symptoms. Conversely, higher levels of conceptual disorganization during the whole period of hospitalization also support a more severe and pharmacho-resistant expression of schizophrenia among SUD patients.

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Cannabis Use and Age at Onset of Schizophrenia

Abstract: The results indicate a strong association between use of cannabis and earlier age at first psychotic episode in male schizophrenia patients. Additional studies examining this possibly causal relationship are needed.

Cited by 231 publications

References 32 publications

Cannabis and other variables affecting age at onset in a schizophrenia founder population

Cannabis and other variables affecting age at onset in a schizophrenia founder population

Adolescent Cannabis Exposure Alters Opiate Intake and Opioid Limbic Neuronal Populations in Adult Rats

Does substance use disorder affect clinical expression in first-hospitalization patients with schizophrenia? Analysis of a prospective cohort

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