scholarly journals Cannabis use and first-episode psychosis: relationship with manic and psychotic symptoms, and with age at presentation

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Stone ◽  
H. L. Fisher ◽  
B. Major ◽  
B. Chisholm ◽  
J. Woolley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Daily Functioning ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Manic Symptoms ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Early Intervention In Psychosis

BackgroundCannabis use has been reported to be associated with an earlier onset of symptoms in patients with first-episode psychosis, and a worse outcome in those who continue to take cannabis. In general, studies have concentrated on symptoms of psychosis rather than mania. In this study, using a longitudinal design in a large naturalistic cohort of patients with first-episode psychosis, we investigated the relationship between cannabis use, age of presentation to services, daily functioning, and positive, negative and manic symptoms.MethodClinical data on 502 patients with first-episode psychosis were collected using the MiData audit database from seven London-based Early Intervention in psychosis teams. Individuals were assessed at two time points – at entry to the service and after 1 year. On each occasion, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale disability subscale were rated. At both time points, the use of cannabis and other drugs of abuse in the 6 months preceding each assessment was recorded.ResultsLevel of cannabis use was associated with a younger age at presentation, and manic symptoms and conceptual disorganization, but not with delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms or daily functioning. Cannabis users who reduced or stopped their use following contact with services had the greatest improvement in symptoms at 1 year compared with continued users and non-users. Continued users remained more symptomatic than non-users at follow-up.ConclusionsEffective interventions for reducing cannabis use may yield significant health benefits for patients with first-episode psychosis.

scholarly journals Schizophrenia polygenic risk score and cannabis use modify psychosis expression in first episode psychosis patients and population controls

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Quattrone ◽  
Ulrich Reininghaus ◽  
Alex L. Richards ◽  
Giada Tripoli ◽  
Laura Ferraro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Distribution ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Small Magnitude ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Population Controls

AbstractBackgroundDiagnostic categories within the psychosis spectrum are widely used in clinical practice, however psychosis may occur on a continuum. Therefore, we explored whether the continuous distribution of psychotic symptoms across categories is a function of genetic as well as environmental risk factors, such as polygenic risk scores (PRSs) and cannabis use.MethodsAs part of the EU-GEI study, we genotyped first episode psychosis patients (FEP) and population controls, for whom transdiagnostic dimensions of psychotic symptoms or experiences were generated using item response bi-factor modelling. Linear regression was used, separately in patients and controls, to test the associations between these dimensions and schizophrenia (SZ) PRSs, as well as the combined effect of SZ-PRS and cannabis use on the positive symptom/experience dimensions.ResultsSZ-PRS was associated with negative (B=0.18; 95%CI 0.03 to 0.34) and positive (B=0.19; 95%CI 0.03 to 0.36) symptom dimensions in 617 FEP, and with all the psychotic experience dimensions in 979 controls. The putative effect of SZ-PRS on either symptom or experience dimensions was of a small magnitude. Cannabis use was additionally associated with the positive dimensions both in FEP (B=0.31; 95%CI 0.11 to 0.52) and in controls (B=0.26; 95%CI 0.06 to 0.46), independently from SZ-PRS.ConclusionsWe report two validators to the latent dimensional structure of psychosis. SZ risk variants and cannabis use independently map onto specific dimensions, contributing to variation across the psychosis continuum. Findings support the hypothesis that psychotic experiences have similar biological substrates as clinical disorders.

scholarly journals Cannabis use and nonuse in patients with first-episode psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing neurocognitive functioning

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Sánchez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Belén Fernandez-Castilla ◽  
Sara Barbeito ◽  
Ana González-Pinto ◽  
Juan Antonio Becerra-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Neurocognitive Functioning ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Moderator Variables ◽  
Episode Psychosis

Abstract Background. The implications of cannabis use in the onset of early psychosis and the severity of psychotic symptoms have resulted in a proliferation of studies on this issue. However, few have examined the effects of cannabis use on the cognitive symptoms of psychosis (i.e., neurocognitive functioning) in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the neurocognitive functioning of cannabis users (CU) and nonusers (NU) with FEP. Methods. Of the 110 studies identified through the systematic review of 6 databases, 7 met the inclusion criteria, resulting in 14 independent samples and 78 effect sizes. The total sample included 304 CU with FEP and 369 NU with FEP. The moderator variables were age at first use, duration of use, percentage of males, and age. Results. Effect sizes were not significantly different from zero in any neurocognitive domain when users and NU were compared. Part of the variability in effect sizes was explained by the inclusion of the following moderator variables: (1) frequency of cannabis use (β = 0.013, F = 7.56, p = 0.017); (2) first-generation antipsychotics (β = 0.019, F = 34.46, p ≤ 0.001); and (3) country where the study was carried out (β = 0.266, t = 2.06, p = 0.043). Conclusions. This meta-analysis indicates that cannabis use is not generally associated with neurocognitive functioning in patients with FEP. However, it highlights the deleterious effect of low doses of cannabis in some patients. It also stresses the importance of the type of antipsychotic prescription and cannabis dose as moderator variables in the neurocognitive functioning of CU with FEP.

Change in cannabis use, clinical symptoms and social functioning among patients with first-episode psychosis: a 5-year follow-up study of patients in the OPUS trial

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Clausen ◽  
C. R. Hjorthøj ◽  
A. Thorup ◽  
P. Jeppesen ◽  
L. Petersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antipsychotic Medication ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Episode Psychosis

BackgroundSeveral studies indicate that cannabis use among patients with psychotic disorders is associated with worse outcome, but only a few studies have controlled for baseline condition and medication.MethodAt 5-year follow-up, interviews were carried out with 314 first-episode psychosis patients included in the OPUS trial. The patients included were in the age range of 18 to 45 years old and 59% were male. Cannabis use was extracted from the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. At follow-up, the patients were divided into different groups according to the variable cannabis use: abstainers, stoppers, starters and continuers. Psychotic, negative and disorganized dimensions (ranging from zero to five) were calculated for each of the four groups based on the Schedule for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia.ResultsCannabis users were younger (24.6 years v. 27.4 years, p < 0.001) and had a lower level of education. At the 5-year follow-up, users of cannabis had higher scores on the psychotic dimension [difference 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41–1.53, p = 0.001] and lower levels of the Global Assessment of Functioning (difference 8.26, 95% CI 2.13–14.39, p = 0.01). Those who stopped using cannabis between entry and 5-year follow-up had a significantly lower level of psychotic symptoms at 5-year follow-up even after controlling for baseline level of psychotic symptoms and for insufficient antipsychotic medication (adjusted difference in psychotic dimension –1.04, 95% CI –1.77 to –0.31, p = 0.006).ConclusionsContinuous cannabis use was associated with higher levels of psychotic symptoms after 5 years, and this association was only partly explained by insufficient antipsychotic medication.

scholarly journals The continuity of effect of schizophrenia polygenic risk score and patterns of cannabis use on transdiagnostic symptom dimensions at first-episode psychosis: findings from the EU-GEI study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Quattrone ◽  
Ulrich Reininghaus ◽  
Alex L. Richards ◽  
Giada Tripoli ◽  
Laura Ferraro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Score ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
The Eu

AbstractDiagnostic categories do not completely reflect the heterogeneous expression of psychosis. Using data from the EU-GEI study, we evaluated the impact of schizophrenia polygenic risk score (SZ-PRS) and patterns of cannabis use on the transdiagnostic expression of psychosis. We analysed first-episode psychosis patients (FEP) and controls, generating transdiagnostic dimensions of psychotic symptoms and experiences using item response bi-factor modelling. Linear regression was used to test the associations between these dimensions and SZ-PRS, as well as the combined effect of SZ-PRS and cannabis use on the dimensions of positive psychotic symptoms and experiences. We found associations between SZ-PRS and (1) both negative (B = 0.18; 95%CI 0.03–0.33) and positive (B = 0.19; 95%CI 0.03–0.35) symptom dimensions in 617 FEP patients, regardless of their categorical diagnosis; and (2) all the psychotic experience dimensions in 979 controls. We did not observe associations between SZ-PRS and the general and affective dimensions in FEP. Daily and current cannabis use were associated with the positive dimensions in FEP (B = 0.31; 95%CI 0.11–0.52) and in controls (B = 0.26; 95%CI 0.06–0.46), over and above SZ-PRS. We provide evidence that genetic liability to schizophrenia and cannabis use map onto transdiagnostic symptom dimensions, supporting the validity and utility of the dimensional representation of psychosis. In our sample, genetic liability to schizophrenia correlated with more severe psychosis presentation, and cannabis use conferred risk to positive symptomatology beyond the genetic risk. Our findings support the hypothesis that psychotic experiences in the general population have similar genetic substrates as clinical disorders.

scholarly journals TU75. CANNABIS USE AND CNR1 GENE: EFFECTS ON PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS AND COGNITION IN FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. e136
Author(s):  
Maitane Oscoz-Irurozqui ◽  
Carmen Almodóvar-Payá ◽  
Maria Guardiola-Ripoll ◽  
Amalia Guerreo-Pedraza ◽  
Noemí Hostalet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Gene Effects ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cnr1 Gene

scholarly journals Daily use of high-potency cannabis is associated with more positive symptoms in first-episode psychosis patients: the EU-GEI case–control study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Quattrone ◽  
Laura Ferraro ◽  
Giada Tripoli ◽  
Caterina La Cascia ◽  
Harriet Quigley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Positive Symptom ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Psychotic Experiences ◽  
High Potency ◽  
Episode Psychosis

Abstract Background Daily use of high-potency cannabis has been reported to carry a high risk for developing a psychotic disorder. However, the evidence is mixed on whether any pattern of cannabis use is associated with a particular symptomatology in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. Method We analysed data from 901 FEP patients and 1235 controls recruited across six countries, as part of the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study. We used item response modelling to estimate two bifactor models, which included general and specific dimensions of psychotic symptoms in patients and psychotic experiences in controls. The associations between these dimensions and cannabis use were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models analyses. Results In patients, there was a linear relationship between the positive symptom dimension and the extent of lifetime exposure to cannabis, with daily users of high-potency cannabis having the highest score (B = 0.35; 95% CI 0.14–0.56). Moreover, negative symptoms were more common among patients who never used cannabis compared with those with any pattern of use (B = −0.22; 95% CI −0.37 to −0.07). In controls, psychotic experiences were associated with current use of cannabis but not with the extent of lifetime use. Neither patients nor controls presented differences in depressive dimension related to cannabis use. Conclusions Our findings provide the first large-scale evidence that FEP patients with a history of daily use of high-potency cannabis present with more positive and less negative symptoms, compared with those who never used cannabis or used low-potency types.

scholarly journals Cannabis-associated symptom profiles in patients with first episode psychosis and population controls

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Quattrone ◽  
Laura Ferraro ◽  
Giada Tripoli ◽  
Erika La Cascia ◽  
Harriet Quigley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Psychotic Experiences ◽  
Study Item ◽  
Heterogeneous Distribution ◽  
Symptom Profiles ◽  
Episode Psychosis

AbstractObjectiveThe evidence is mixed on whether cannabis use is associated with a particular symptomatology in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients.The authors set out to investigate a) patterns of association between cannabis use and transdiagnostic symptom dimensions; b) whether the extent of use of cannabis contributes to the variation in clinical and subclinical symptom profiles.MethodThe authors analysed data from 901 patients and 1235 controls recruited across six countries, as part of the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study. Item response modelling was used to estimate two bifactor models, which included general and specific dimensions of psychotic symptoms in patients and psychotic experiences in controls. The associations between these dimensions and cannabis use was evaluated using linear mixed effects models analyses.ResultsIn patients, there was a linear relationship between the positive symptom dimension and the extent of lifetime exposure to cannabis, with daily users of high potency cannabis having the highest score (B=0.35; 95%CI 0.14 to 0.56). Moreover, negative symptoms were more common among patients who never used cannabis compared with those with any pattern of use (B=-0.27; 95%CI −0.42 to −0.12).In controls, psychotic experiences were associated with current use of cannabis but not with the extent of lifetime use.Neither patients nor controls presented differences in the depressive dimension related to cannabis use.ConclusionsThe extent of use of cannabis explains part of the heterogeneous distribution of positive and negative symptoms of FEP patients.

Cannabis use and genes of endocannabinoid system: their role in psychotic symptoms and cognition in first-episode psychosis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maitane Oscoz Irurozqui ◽  
◽  
Maria Guardiola-Ripoll ◽  
Carmen Almodóvar-Payà ◽  
Salavador Sarró ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Background ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Negative Syndrome

Objectives. To evaluate the association of cannabis use, genes of the endocannabinoid system and their interaction on clinical symptoms and cognitive performance in patients with a first-episode of pyschosis. Background. The role of both cannabis use and individual genetic background has been shown in the risk for psychosis. However, the influence of cannabis and variability at endocannabinoid genes on the psychosis outcome still remains inconclusive. Materials and Methods. The sample comprised 43 Caucasian individuals with a first-episode of psychosis (mean age(sd)=25.80(6.39) years, 76.7% males, 51.2% cannabis users).There were no differences in age and sex between cannabis users and non-users. Genetic variability was assessed by genotyping one Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) in each gene (CNR1-rs1049353 and CNR2-rs2501431). Clinical (PANSS, GAF) and neuropsychological (WAIS, WMS, BADS) scales were administered. Results and conclusions. Genotypic frequencies did not differ between cannabis users and non-users. Cannabis use was associated with better manipulative abilities (IQ-M-WAIS, p=0.029) and better executive function (BADS, p=0.036). CNR1-T allele carriers presented higher disorganized and negative syndrome scores (p=0.001 and p=0.044, respectively). The interaction models evidenced a combined effect of CNR1 and cannabis use on the negative syndrome-PANSS (p=0.037). These results suggest the role of cannabis use and genetic background on cognitive and psychopathological outcomes in first-episode psychosis. However, evidence is still scant, and further investigation in larger samples is needed.

Cannabis Use in a First Onset Psychosis Sample: Prevalence and Clinical Differences in Relation to Age of Onset

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S275-S275
Author(s):  
M. Pardo ◽  
J. Matalí ◽  
A. Butjosa ◽  
V. Regina ◽  
M. Dolz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Onset ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Wide Range

IntroductionThere is a wide range of studies focusing on the use of cannabis in first episode psychosis (PEP). Literature using child and adolescent samples is scarce.Objectives and aimsTo determine the prevalence and clinical differences between cannabis users and non-cannabis users of early onset first episode psychosis (EOP), and adult onset first episode psychosis (AOP).MethodOne hundred and forty patients were recruited in adult (AOP subsample, n = 69) and child and adolescent (EOP subsample, n = 71) mental health services. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was used for psychotic symptoms and the Calgary Scale for affective symptoms. The Chi2 test analysed clinical differences between users and nonusers within subsamples, and in the total sample a Pearson correlation was used for the relationship between age at cannabis use and PEP.ResultsThe prevalence of lifetime use of cannabis and the average age at first use were 48% and 13.82 years (± 1.15) in the EOP subsample, and 58% and 17.78 years (± 3.93) in the AOP subsample. Within EOP, cannabis users were older (P = .001), had fewer negative symptoms (P = .045) and less depressive symptoms (P = .005). Within AOP, cannabis users were younger (P = .018) and had greater severity of positive symptoms (P = .021). Age at first cannabis use and age at PEP were positively correlated.ConclusionsCannabis use is prevalent in adult and early onset psychosis. Cannabis users differ clinically from non-users, and the earlier the use of cannabis, the earlier the onset of psychosis.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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