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A new study has found that cannabis appears to exacerbate poor neural communication in young people at risk of psychosis.
The study was conducted at McGill University and published in JAMA PsychiatryIt could pave the way for better treatments for psychosis that target symptoms that current medications miss.
The study discovered a significant reduction in nerve cell connections in the brain – known as synaptic density – among individuals at risk of psychosis compared to a healthy control group. She found that cannabis addiction among these people exacerbated this process.
Cannabis is a known risk factor for psychosis that can progress to schizophrenia, but this is the first time researchers have detected brain-level changes in an at-risk population in real time.
“Cannabis appears to disrupt the brain’s natural process of refining and pruning synapses, which is essential for healthy brain development,” explained study co-author Romina Mizrahi.
“Not all cannabis users develop psychosis, but for some, the risks are high. Our research helps explain why.”
The researchers used advanced brain scanning technology to study about 50 participants ages 16 to 30, including those with recent psychotic symptoms and those considered at high risk.
“This study found that decreased synaptic density was present during the early stages of psychosis and associated risk states, and was associated with negative symptoms,” the researchers wrote, adding that this dysfunction could lead to schizophrenia.
Scans also reveal that low synaptic density is associated with symptoms such as social withdrawal and lack of motivation, which are difficult to treat.
Researchers say that current antipsychotic medications successfully target hallucinations, but fail to treat these difficult-to-treat symptoms.
“It does not treat symptoms that make it difficult to manage social relationships, work or school,” said Belen Blasco, the study’s first author.
In further studies, scientists hope to explore whether these observed brain changes could help predict the development of psychosis and perhaps enable early intervention.
“By focusing on the density of synapses, we may eventually be able to develop treatments that enhance social function and quality of life for those affected,” said Blasko, a doctoral candidate at McGill University.