Summary: New research has revealed that people who suffer from schizophrenia and cannabis use disorder ( CUD) have higher serotonin levels in a brain location known to be associated with schizophrenia. This might help clarify why using more marijuana frequently increases the risk of hallucinations and delusions.
Scientists discovered that dopamine-related brain signals were considerably higher in those with CUD, and that this increase was correlated with the intensity of usage, using neuromelanin-MRI imaging. These findings may provide information to care professionals regarding the effects of persistent cannabis use on children and high-risk parties.
Important Information
- Dopamine Spike: Cannabis users who had the problem demonstrated higher levels of dopamine signals in brain regions associated with psychosis.
- Risk Magnified: Regardless of dementia diagnosis, the higher the dopamine signal, the more intense the cannabis employ.
- Youth Concern: The need for better public education is highlighted by the fact that one in five American youngsters regularly use cannabis.
McGill University Cause
A brain region associated with illness had higher serotonin levels in a study led by McGill University.
This may help explain why hemp use, one of the main psychotic disorders symptoms of dementia and other psychotic disorders, increases the risk of hallucinations and delusions, according to initial author Jessica Ahrens, a PhD student at McGill’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience.
Dopamine is a hormone that helps regulate feelings and motivation, and excessive use is thought to be linked to psychosis. Although it was known that marijuana had an effect on serotonin, this study provides some insight into where these modifications take place in the brain.
When one struggles to control their cannabis use, persists despite the negative effects, and may experience cravings or withdrawal, has a cannabis use disorder.
Medical scientists around the world have been looking for a website that can explain how cannabis affects the brain’s mechanism underlying illness for a long time. A shared serotonin road may be the solution, according to Ahrens.
61 citizens were included in the research  , including those who had early-stage schizophrenia and those who had CUD, as well as those who had both cannabis use disorder and those who had it without. Researchers at Western University measured their neuromelanin message, which reflects serotonin activity, using a professional mental check called neuromelanin-MRI.
CUD sufferers had an abnormally large neuromelanin level, and their level of cannabis use was related to it. In contrast, those who had CUD or had dementia did not experience this increase. These results must be confirmed by larger reports.
educating young people about the dangers of hemp
One in five Canadian children use cannabis, and about one in five of them regularly or almost everyday. It is still important to understand the effects of the drug on mental health.
Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, Professor of Psychiatry at McGill and Psychiatrist at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, said,” The lack of clear genetic evidence linking cannabis to schizophrenia has made it harder to inspire young people with schizophrenic symptoms to reduce their use.”
” Our findings may assist doctors and mental health professionals better inform people about the potential risks of regular cannabis use, particularly for those with a family history of psychosis,” he said.
Future research will examine whether long-term cannabis use causes long-lasting serotonin shifts and whether these changes fade after quitting.
About the review
The study received funding from the Canada Institutes of Health Research, the Foundation for Schizophrenia, the French Consortium for First Intervention in Psychosis, the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé, the Quebec Bio-Imaging Network, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, the Canada Research Chairs software, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
About this CUD and illness study news
Author: Keila DePape
Source: McGill University
Contact: Keila DePape – McGill University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Start access to original research.
Jessica Ahrens and colleagues ‘” Cannabis and illness converge on the Dopamine System.” Psychiatry JAMA
Abstract
Cannabis and illness converge on the Dopamine System
Importance
The link between cannabis use and schizophrenia is still elusive despite evidence that those who suffer from a cannabis use disorder ( CUD) are at an increased risk of schizophrenia and that the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a role in illness.
Objective
To examine whether a common alteration in the dopamine system may be linked to CUD and psychosis and whether or not they have been diagnosed with first-episode schizophrenia ( FES ), using neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI), also known as the , neuromelanin-MRI signal, as a practical, proxy measure of dopamine function.
Design, Setting, and Participants;
From an earlier illness company and the surrounding areas in London, Ontario, people were recruited for this horizontal observational cohort study from 2019 to 2023. The sample included both CUD sufferers and those without it, with some members of each group likewise having FES diagnoses.
Exposures
FES and CUD treatments based on the DSM-5 Structured Clinical Interview.
Main Results and Measures  , ,
A subregion previously associated with the severity of untreated psychosis ( a priori region of interest ) is revealed in the neuromelanin-MRI signals from the midbrain ( substantia nigra]SN] /ventral tegmental area]VTA]. Linear mixed-effects analyses were carried out to compare neuromelanin-MRI signs to medical measures.
Results
A total of 36 individuals without CUD ( mean]SD] age, 22.3]3.2] years, 29 male]81 % ], 12 with FES ) and 25 individuals with CUD ( mean]SD] age, 24.3]4.7] years, 22 male]88 % ], 16 with FES ) participated in the study.
Twelve CUD patients and 25 CUD patients received a one-year follow-up. A set of ventral SN/VTA voxels ( 387 of 2060, corrected , P , =.03, permutation test ) had an association with elevated neuromelanin-MRI signal.
CUD also had a significant dose-dependent association with an elevated neuromelanin-MRI signal in the psychosis-related region of interest ( t92 = 2.12; P =.04; higher burden of CUD symptoms was related to a higher neuromelanin-MRI signal; F1, 96 = 4.89; P =.03 ).
In contrast, FES-treated FES participants did not show a significant increase in neuromelanin-MRI signal ( 241 SN/VTA voxels had elevated signal, corrected P =.09 ). There was no connection between time and the neuromelanin-MRI message.
Conclusions and Relevance  , ,
In a crucial SN/VTA region, elevated serotonin levels may be a factor in CUD patients ‘ illness risk. Cannabis was linked to the conceivable last common route for the medical manifestation of psychotic symptoms.
