Rachel Little1, Dale D'Mello2. 1. Ms. Little is a science writer in Lansing, Michigan. 2. Dr. D'Mello is Associate Professor Emeritus with the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
Abstract
Background: Observations regarding psychostimulant and psychedelic drug-induced psychotic states led to the dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate hypotheses of schizophrenia. Expanding knowledge about the endocannabinoid system and the impact of exogenous cannabinoids on the brain and behavior have elucidated several putative pathways to cannabis-induced psychosis. Objective: The purpose of the present article was to describe these pathways and propose a cannabinoid hypothesis of schizophrenia. Main points: The endocannabinoid system was reviewed. Evidence regarding the effect of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the brain was described. A connection between cannabis use and first-episode psychosis was elucidated. Conclusion: Understanding the putative pathways to cannabis-induced psychosis might lead to targeted therapeutic interventions and prevention of schizophrenia in susceptible individuals.
Background: Observations regarding psychostimulant and psychedelic drug-induced psychotic states led to the dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate hypotheses of schizophrenia. Expanding knowledge about the endocannabinoid system and the impact of exogenous cannabinoids on the brain and behavior have elucidated several putative pathways to cannabis-induced psychosis. Objective: The purpose of the present article was to describe these pathways and propose a cannabinoid hypothesis of schizophrenia. Main points: The endocannabinoid system was reviewed. Evidence regarding the effect of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the brain was described. A connection between cannabis use and first-episode psychosis was elucidated. Conclusion: Understanding the putative pathways to cannabis-induced psychosis might lead to targeted therapeutic interventions and prevention of schizophrenia in susceptible individuals.
Authors: Matthew D Albaugh; Jonatan Ottino-Gonzalez; Amanda Sidwell; Claude Lepage; Anthony Juliano; Max M Owens; Bader Chaarani; Philip Spechler; Nicholas Fontaine; Pierre Rioux; Lindsay Lewis; Seun Jeon; Alan Evans; Deepak D'Souza; Rajiv Radhakrishnan; Tobias Banaschewski; Arun L W Bokde; Erin Burke Quinlan; Patricia Conrod; Sylvane Desrivières; Herta Flor; Antoine Grigis; Penny Gowland; Andreas Heinz; Bernd Ittermann; Jean-Luc Martinot; Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot; Frauke Nees; Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos; Tomáš Paus; Luise Poustka; Sabina Millenet; Juliane H Fröhner; Michael N Smolka; Henrik Walter; Robert Whelan; Gunter Schumann; Alexandra Potter; Hugh Garavan Journal: JAMA Psychiatry Date: 2021-06-16 Impact factor: 25.911