Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T19:26:14.015Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Acute cannabis use causes increased psychotomimetic experiences in individuals prone to psychosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2008

O. Mason ,
C. J. A. Morgan ,
S. K. Dhiman ,
A. Patel ,
N. Parti ,
A. Patel  and
H. V. Curran
O. Mason
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
C. J. A. Morgan
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
S. K. Dhiman
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
A. Patel
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
N. Parti
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
A. Patel
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
H. V. Curran*
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Professor H. V. Curran, Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Epidemiological evidence suggests a link between cannabis use and psychosis. A variety of factors have been proposed to mediate an individual's vulnerability to the harmful effects of the drug, one of which is their psychosis proneness. We hypothesized that highly psychosis-prone individuals would report more marked psychotic experiences under the acute influence of cannabis.

Method

A group of cannabis users (n=140) completed the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI) once while acutely intoxicated and again when free of cannabis. A control group (n=144) completed the PSI on two parallel test days. All participants also completed a drug history and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Highly psychosis-prone individuals from both groups were then compared with individuals scoring low on psychosis proneness by taking those in each group scoring above and below the upper and lower quartiles using norms for the SPQ.

Results

Smoking cannabis in a naturalistic setting reliably induced marked increases in psychotomimetic symptoms. Consistent with predictions, highly psychosis-prone individuals experienced enhanced psychotomimetic states following acute cannabis use.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that an individual's response to acute cannabis and their psychosis-proneness scores are related and both may be markers of vulnerability to the harmful effects of this drug.

Keywords

Acutecannabispsychosisschizotypyvulnerability
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 39 , Issue 6 , June 2009 , pp. 951 - 956
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barkus, E, Lewis, S (2008). Schizotypy and psychosis-like experiences from recreational cannabis in a non-clinical sample. Psychological Medicine. Published online: 21 January 2008. doi:10.1017/S0033291707002619.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barkus, E, Stirling, J, Hopkins, R, Lewis, S (2006). Cannabis-induced psychosis-like experiences are associated with high schizotypy. Psychopathology 39, 139–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
D'Souza, DC, Perry, E, MacDougall, L, Ammerman, Y, Cooper, T, Wu, YT, Braley, G, Gueorguieve, R, Krystal, JH (2004). The psychotomimetic effects of intravenous delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in healthy individuals: implications for research. Neuropsychopharmacology 29, 1558–1572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
D'Souza, DC, Ranganathan, M, Braley, G, Gueorguieva, R, Zimolo, Z, Cooper, T, Perry, E, Krystal, J (2008). Blunted psychotomimetic and amestic effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in frequent users of cannabis. Neuropsychopharmacology. Published online: 9 January 2008. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301643.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Di Forti, M, Morrison, PD, Butt, A, Murray, RM (2007). Cannabis use and psychiatric and cognitive disorders: the chicken or the egg? Current Opinion in Psychiatry 20, 228–234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Favrat, B, Ménétrey, A, Augsburger, M, Rothuizen, LE, Appenseller, M, Buclin, T, Pin, M, Mangin, P, Giroud, C (2005). Two cases of ‘cannabis acute psychosis’ following the administration of oral cannabis. BMC Psychiatry 5, 17–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fergusson, DM, Horwood, LJ, Ridder, EM (2005). Tests of causal linkages between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms. Addiction 100, 354–366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henquet, C, Krabbendam, L, Spauwen, J, Kaplan, C, Lieb, R, Wittchen, HU, van Os, J (2005). Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psychosis, and psychotic symptoms in young people. British Medical Journal 330, 11–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hickman, M, Vickerman, P, Macleod, J, Kirkbride, J, Jones, PB (2007) Cannabis and schizophreia: model projections of the impact of the rise in cannabis use on historical and future trends in schizophrenia. Addiction 102, 597–606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mason, OJ, Morgan, CJA, Stefanovic, A, Curran, HV (2008). The Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI): measuring psychotic-type experiences from ketamine and cannabis. Schizophrenia Research 103, 138–142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moore, THM, Zammit, S, Lingford-Hughes, A, Barnes, TRE, Jones, PB, Burke, M, Lewis, L (2007). Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review. Lancet 370, 319–328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, CJA, Curran, HV (2008). Effects of cannabidiol on schizophrenia-like symptoms in cannabis users. British Journal of Psychiatry 192, 306–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, CJA, Rossell, S, Pepper, F, Smart, J, Blackburn, J, Brandner, B, Curran, HV (2006). Semantic priming after ketamine acutely in healthy volunteers and following chronic self-administration in substance users. Biological Psychiatry 59, 265–272.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raine, A (1991). The SPQ: a scale for the assessment of schizotypal personality based on DSM-III-R criteria. Schizophrenia Bulletin 17, 555–564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skosnik, PD, Spatz-Glenn, L, Park, S (2001). Cannabis use is associated with schizotypy and attentional disinhibition. Schizophrenia Research 48, 83–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soliman, A, O'Driscoll, GA, Pruessner, J, Holahan, ALV, Boileau, I, Gagnon, D, Dagher, A (2007). Stress-induced dopamine release in humans at risk of psychosis: a [11C]raclopride PET study. Neuropsychopharmacology. Published online: 24 October 2007. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UNODC (2007). World Drug Report. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2007. Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Verdoux, H, Gindre, C, Sorbara, F, Tournier, M, Swendsen, JD (2003). Effects of cannabis and psychosis vulnerability in daily life: an experience sampling test study. Psychological Medicine 33, 23–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, JH, Wellman, NA, Rawlins, JNP (1996). Cannabis use correlates with schizotypy in healthy people. Addiction 91, 869–878.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zammit, S, Spurlock, G, Williams, H, Norton, N, Williams, N, O'Donovan, MC, Owen, MJ (2007). Genotype effects of CHRNA7, CNR1 and COMT in schizophrenia: interactions with tobacco and cannabis use. British Journal of Psychiatry 191, 402–407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed