Thomas Schwitzer1, Raymund Schwan2, Eliane Albuisson3, Anne Giersch4, Laurence Lalanne4, Karine Angioi-Duprez5, Vincent Laprevote2. 1. Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou, France2EA7298 Interactions gènes-risques environnementaux et effets sur la santé, Université de Lorraine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, Nancy, France3Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1114, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg, Département de Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. 2. Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou, France2EA7298 Interactions gènes-risques environnementaux et effets sur la santé, Université de Lorraine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, Nancy, France4Maison des Addictions, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire Nancy, Nancy, France. 3. Pôle S2R, PARC, ESPRI-BIOBASE, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire Nancy, Vandoeuvre lès Nancy, Nancy, France6Université de Lorraine, Faculté de Médecine, SPI-EAO, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, Nancy, France7Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Elie Cartan de Lorraine, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7502, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, Nancy, France. 4. Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1114, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg, Département de Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. 5. Service d'Ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire Nancy, Nancy, France.
Abstract
IMPORTANCE: Because cannabis use is a major public health concern and cannabis is known to act on central neurotransmission, studying the retinal ganglion cells in individuals who regularly use cannabis is of interest. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the regular use of cannabis could alter the function of retinal ganglion cells in humans. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: For this case-control study, individuals who regularly use cannabis, as well as healthy controls, were recruited, and data were collected from February 11 to October 28, 2014. Retinal function was used as a direct marker of brain neurotransmission abnormalities in complex mental phenomena. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Amplitude and implicit time of the N95 wave on results of pattern electroretinography. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of the 52 participants were regular cannabis users (24 men and 4 women; median age, 22 years [95% CI, 21-24 years]), and the remaining 24 were controls (20 men and 4 women; median age, 24 years [95% CI, 23-27 years]). There was no difference between groups in terms of age (P = .13) or sex (P = .81). After adjustment for the number of years of education and alcohol use, there was a significant increase for cannabis users of the N95 implicit time on results of pattern electroretinography (median, 98.6 milliseconds [95% CI, 93.4-99.5]) compared with controls (median, 88.4 milliseconds [95% CI, 85.0-91.1]), with 8.4 milliseconds as the median of the differences (95% CI, 4.9-11.5; P < .001, Wald logistic regression). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.73-0.95]; P < .001) revealed, for a cutoff value of 91.13 milliseconds, a sensitivity of 78.6% (95% CI, 60.5%-89.8%) and a specificity of 75.0% (95% CI, 55.1%-88.0%) for correctly classifying both cannabis users and controls in their corresponding group. The positive predictive value was 78.6% (95% CI, 60.5%-89.8%), and the negative predictive value was 75.0% (95% CI, 55.1%-88.0%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our results demonstrate a delay in transmission of action potentials by the ganglion cells in regular cannabis users, which could support alterations in vision. Our findings may be important from a public health perspective since they could highlight the neurotoxic effects of cannabis use on the central nervous system as a result of how it affects retinal processing.
IMPORTANCE: Because cannabis use is a major public health concern and cannabis is known to act on central neurotransmission, studying the retinal ganglion cells in individuals who regularly use cannabis is of interest. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the regular use of cannabis could alter the function of retinal ganglion cells in humans. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: For this case-control study, individuals who regularly use cannabis, as well as healthy controls, were recruited, and data were collected from February 11 to October 28, 2014. Retinal function was used as a direct marker of brain neurotransmission abnormalities in complex mental phenomena. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Amplitude and implicit time of the N95 wave on results of pattern electroretinography. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of the 52 participants were regular cannabis users (24 men and 4 women; median age, 22 years [95% CI, 21-24 years]), and the remaining 24 were controls (20 men and 4 women; median age, 24 years [95% CI, 23-27 years]). There was no difference between groups in terms of age (P = .13) or sex (P = .81). After adjustment for the number of years of education and alcohol use, there was a significant increase for cannabis users of the N95 implicit time on results of pattern electroretinography (median, 98.6 milliseconds [95% CI, 93.4-99.5]) compared with controls (median, 88.4 milliseconds [95% CI, 85.0-91.1]), with 8.4 milliseconds as the median of the differences (95% CI, 4.9-11.5; P < .001, Wald logistic regression). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.73-0.95]; P < .001) revealed, for a cutoff value of 91.13 milliseconds, a sensitivity of 78.6% (95% CI, 60.5%-89.8%) and a specificity of 75.0% (95% CI, 55.1%-88.0%) for correctly classifying both cannabis users and controls in their corresponding group. The positive predictive value was 78.6% (95% CI, 60.5%-89.8%), and the negative predictive value was 75.0% (95% CI, 55.1%-88.0%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our results demonstrate a delay in transmission of action potentials by the ganglion cells in regular cannabis users, which could support alterations in vision. Our findings may be important from a public health perspective since they could highlight the neurotoxic effects of cannabis use on the central nervous system as a result of how it affects retinal processing.
Authors: Sonia Ortiz-Peregrina; Carolina Ortiz; José J Castro-Torres; José R Jiménez; Rosario G Anera Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-12-03 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Paulo Roberto Arruda Zantut; Mariana Matera Veras; Sarah Gomes Menezes Benevenutto; Angélica Mendonça Vaz Safatle; Ricardo Augusto Pecora; Victor Yuji Yariwake; Janaina Iannicelli Torres; Gustavo Sakuno; Marco Antonio Garcia Martins; Aline Adriana Bolzan; Walter Yukihiko Takahashi; Paulo Hilario Nascimento Saldiva; Francisco Max Damico Journal: Int J Retina Vitreous Date: 2021-06-30