Summary: High-potency cannabis use frequently leaves distinctive chemical marks on DNA, especially those that have an impact on genes involved in energy and immune function. Scientists discovered that regular cannabis people who had experienced schizophrenia and those who had not, suggesting a possible genetic connection to schizophrenia risk.
This finding may lead to DNA blood tests that can help determine cannabis users who are more prone to illness, which could aid in developing new preventative strategies. As cannabis use becomes more widespread, understanding its genetic impact is crucial, especially for emotional wellness.
Title: High Potency Cannabis Leaves Distinct DNA Mark, Linked to Mental Health
A study has revealed that frequent use of high-potency cannabis leaves unique molecular marks on DNA, particularly affecting genes related to energy and immune function. Researchers found that DNA methylation—an epigenetic modification—differed between frequent cannabis users who had experienced psychosis and those who had not, suggesting a possible genetic link to psychosis risk. This finding may lead to DNA blood tests that can help determine cannabis users who are more prone to illness, which could aid in developing new preventative strategies. As cannabis use becomes more widespread, understanding its genetic impact is crucial, especially for emotional wellness.
Important Information:
- High-potency hemp affects chromosomes linked to energy and immune response.
- Regular use leaves specific DNA fragments, which could be related to psychosis risk.
- Results might help with upcoming DNA tests to determine cannabis users ‘ illness vulnerability.
Origin: King’s College London
This is the first research to show that the use of higher intensity cannabis  leaves a distinct mark on DNA, giving valuable insight into the physiological effects of cannabis use. It was published in Molecular Psychiatry.
High potency cannabis is defined as having , Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) content of 10 percent or more.  ,
The study also found that cannabis use affects DNA differently in people who are experiencing their first illness compared to those who have never been, suggesting that DNA body tests might be able to help identify those cannabis users who are at risk of psychosis in order to guide preventative measures.  ,
The study received funding from the Medical Research Council, the Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre ( BRC ), and the NIHR Exeter BRC, respectively.
Older author Marta Di Forti, Professor of Drugs, Genes and Psychosis at King’s IoPPN , said:” With the increasing prevalence of cannabis use and more availability of great strength cannabis, there is a pressing need to better understand its natural impact, especially on emotional health.
Our study is the first to demonstrate that high-potency cannabis leaves a distinctive DNA signature related to immune system and energy-producing mechanisms.  ,  ,
Future research needs to determine whether the DNA signature of the high potency types used today, as well as the one of its users, can help identify those who are most likely to experience psychosis, both for recreational and medicinal use, according to Dr. Seymour.
Researchers looked into the effects of cannabis use on DNA methylation, a chemical reaction that alters how genes function ( whether they are turned on or off ) when they are exposed in blood samples.
In the context of the interaction between risk factors and mental health, DNA methylation is a type of epigenetic change that alters gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself.
The University of Exeter’s laboratory team used blood samples from both first-episode psychosis sufferers and those who have never experienced a psychotic episode to conduct complex analyses of DNA methylation across the entire human genome.
The researchers investigated the impact of current cannabis use, including frequency and potency, on DNA of a total of 682 participants
The analysis showed that frequent users of high-potency cannabis had changes in genes related to mitochondrial and immune function, particularly the , CAVIN1 , gene, which could affect energy and immune response.
The well-known effects of tobacco on DNA methylation, which is typically mixed into joints by most cannabis users, did not explain these changes.
This is the first study to demonstrate that frequent use of high-potency cannabis leaves a distinct molecular mark on DNA, particularly affecting genes related to energy and immune function, according to Dr. Emma Dempster, Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter and the study’s first author.
Our findings offer important insights into how biological processes may be altered by cannabis use. DNA methylation, which bridges the gap between genetics and environmental factors, is a key mechanism that allows external influences, such as substance use, to impact gene activity.
These epigenetic changes, which are affected by lifestyle and exposures, provide a valuable insight into how cannabis use may affect mental health through biological pathways.
Dr Emma Dempster meta-analysed data from two cohorts: the GAP study, which consists of patients with first episode psychosis in South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and the EU-GE I study, which consists of patients with first episode psychosis and healthy controls across England, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Brazil. 239 people from both studies had first episode psychosis and 443 healthy controls had available DNA samples, making up the total of 239 participants.
The majority of the cannabis users in the study used high-potency cannabis more than once per week ( defined as frequent use ) and had for the first time ever used it at age 16 on average. High potency cannabis was defined as having Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) content of 10 per cent or greater. The main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is THC.
About this news about CUD research and epigenetics
Author: Franca Davenport
Source: King’s College London
Contact: Franca Davenport – King’s College London
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
Marta Di Forti and her team’s” The current cannabis use in two first-episode psychosis cohorts is methyllomic in its methylomic signature..” Molecular Psychiatry
Abstract
The current cannabis use in two first-episode psychosis cohorts is methyllomic in its methylomic signature.
The growing acceptance of cannabis as a legal substance has made it necessary to have a thorough understanding of its biological effects, particularly those relating to mental health.
Epigenetic mechanisms, specifically DNA methylation, have gained increasing recognition as vital factors in the interplay between risk factors and mental health. In two independent cohorts of people who were first-episode psychosis ( FEP ) compared to control subjects, this study sought to investigate the effects of current cannabis use and high-potency cannabis on DNA methylation.
The combined sample consisted of 682 participants ( 188 current cannabis users and 494 never users ). Using the Illumina DNA methylation array platform, DNA methylation profiles were created on blood-derived DNA samples. A meta-analysis across cohorts identified one CpG site ( cg11669285 ) in the , CAVIN1 , gene that showed differential methylation with current cannabis use, surpassing the array-wide significance threshold, and independent of the tobacco-related epigenetic signature.
Furthermore, a CpG site localised in the , MCU , gene ( cg11669285 ) achieved array-wide significance in an analysis of the effect of high-potency ( THC = >, 10 % ) current cannabis use. Cannabis-related epigenetic variation is proximal to genes that are thought to be related to immune and mitochondrial function, both of which are known to be influenced by cannabinoids, according to pathway and regional analyses.
In a model that included a term for the interaction between cannabis use and FEP status, two sites were reportedly significantly related to current cannabis use, suggesting that FEP status might modulate how DNA methylationation is impacted by cannabis use.
Overall, these findings provide insight into the epigenetic impact of current cannabis use and highlight potential molecular changes caused by cannabis exposure.
