Adolescent Cannabis Use and Schizophrenia Genes: How Do They Connect?

In adolescent boys, marijuana use combined with high genetic risk for schizophrenia was associated with lower cortical thickness, especially in areas dense with cannabinoid-1 receptors.

Both chronic cannabis use and schizophrenia have similar findings on magnetic resonance imaging of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in males (NEJM JW Psychiatry Jul 2007 and Biol Psychiatry 2007; 61:1281). To learn more, investigators examined the interrelationships among adolescent cannabis use, cortical thickness, and a polygenic schizophrenia risk score (based on 108 loci identified by the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium) in three independent samples (N=1087).

In two samples, only male participants who reported ever using cannabis showed lower mean cortical thickness, which was mediated by high polygenic scores. In the third sample, cortical thickness was lower in males with frequent cannabis use (frequency, ≥61 times) than in males who…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Adolescent Cannabis Use and Schizophrenia Genes: How Do They Connect?

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Reviewing Author