Cannabis affects people differently: intersubject variation in the psychotogenic effects of Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study with healthy volunteers
Z. Atakan, S. Bhattacharyya, P. Allen, R. MartínSantos,
J. A. Crippa, S. J. Borgwardt, P. FusarPoli,
M. Seal, H. Sallis, D.
Stahl, A. W. Zuardi, K. Rubia and P. McGuire
Psychological Medicine / FirstView Article / January 2006, pp 1 13
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291712001924,
Epidemiological research points towards a link between
the use of cannabis and the increased risk of
developing a psychotic illness, in a dose-dependent
manner (Arseneault et al. 2002; Zammit et al. 2002;
Moore et al. 2007). However, cannabis affects individuals
differently and not everyone who uses
it develops psychosis. The basis of this variable
sensitivity is unclear, as is the location where
D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main compound
of the plant, mediates its psychotogenic effects.
Individuals with a predisposition to psychosis who
might be particularly vulnerable to its adverse effects
were indicated by a positive family history of psychosis
(McGuire et al. 1995), a schizotypal personality
(Stirling et al. 2008), the presence of subclinical psychotic
features (Henquet et al. 2004), being at ultrahigh
risk for psychosis (Peters et al. 2009) or carrying
specific genes (Caspi et al. 2005; van Winkel et al. 2011;
Bhattacharyya et al. 2012a).
Published online:
Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0033291712001924
