Legemaat, Sebastiaan (2024) Revisiting the cannabis-psychosis association: Cannabis use does not cause psychosis. Master's Thesis / Essay, Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences.
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Abstract
Cannabis is one of the most consumed drugs worldwide, with ongoing decriminalization policies contributing to an increase in its use. Cannabis exerts its psychoactive effects by binding to the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is crucially involved with emotional processing, stress recovery, and cognition. Given the strong correlation between cannabis use and the development of psychosis, many researchers and clinicians have expressed concerns regarding the changing legal climate. However, no causal relationship can be established from correlational evidence, with some compelling alternative explanations for the cannabis-psychosis association. This essay argues for a more nuanced understanding of the cannabis-psychosis association, illustrating that cannabis by itself is unlikely to cause psychosis. The association is strongly mediated by genetic factors altering ECS signaling, dopamine signaling, and neurodevelopment, with risk genes for psychosis showing a greater causal significance for cannabis use than vice versa. Moreover, cannabis use does not increase the severity of a neuropsychological risk state for psychosis in healthy individuals and at-risk individuals, nor does cannabis use increase transition rates to psychosis. Rather than cannabis being causally involved with psychosis, the severity of both cannabis use and psychotic symptoms seems to be caused by an underlying genetic and neurodevelopmental predisposition for psychosis.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Scheurink, A.J.W. |
| Degree programme: | Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences |
| Thesis type: | Master's Thesis / Essay |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Jul 2024 07:47 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Jul 2024 12:17 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/33172 |
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