Light Cannabis Use and the Adolescent Brain: An 8-years Longitudinal Assessment of Mental Health, Cognition, and Reward Processing

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Inês Macedo - , University of Porto (Author)
  • Tiago O. Paiva - , Lusófona University (Author)
  • Rita Pasion - , Lusófona University (Author)
  • Laura Daedelow - , Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (Author)
  • Andreas Heinz - , Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (Author)
  • Ana Magalhães - , University of Porto (Author)
  • Tobias Banaschewski - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Arun L.W. Bokde - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Sylvane Desrivières - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Herta Flor - , Heidelberg University , University of Mannheim (Author)
  • Antoine Grigis - , Université Paris-Saclay (Author)
  • Hugh Garavan - , University of Vermont (Author)
  • Penny Gowland - , University of Nottingham (Author)
  • Rüdiger Brühl - , Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Author)
  • Jean Luc Martinot - , French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) (Author)
  • Marie Laure Paillère Martinot - , École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay (Author)
  • Eric Artiges - , INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Author)
  • Frauke Nees - , Heidelberg University , University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel (Author)
  • Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos - , Université Paris-Saclay (Author)
  • Tomáš Paus - , University of Montreal, University of Toronto (Author)
  • Luise Poustka - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Sarah Hohmann - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Nathalie Holz - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Juliane H. Fröhner - , Neuroimaging Center, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Author)
  • Michael N. Smolka - , Neuroimaging Center, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Author)
  • Nilakshi Vaidya - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Henrik Walter - , Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (Author)
  • Robert Whelan - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Gunter Schumann - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Fudan University (Author)
  • Fernando Barbosa - , University of Porto (Author)
  • Gareth J. Barker - (Author)
  • Herve Lemaitre - (Author)
  • Sabina Millenet - (Author)
  • Lauren Robinson - (Author)
  • Jeanne M. Winterer - , Professor (rtd.) for Addiction Research (Author)

Abstract

RATIONALE: For decades, cannabis has been the most widely used illicit substance in the world, particularly among youth. Research suggests that mental health problems associated with cannabis use may result from its effect on reward brain circuit, emotional processes, and cognition. However, findings are mostly derived from correlational studies and inconsistent, particularly in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Using data from the IMAGEN study, participants (non-users, persistent users, abstinent users) were classified according to their cannabis use at 19 and 22 years-old. All participants were cannabis-naïve at baseline (14 years-old). Psychopathological symptoms, cognitive performance, and brain activity while performing a Monetary Incentive Delay task were used as predictors of substance use and to analyze group differences over time.

RESULTS: Higher scores on conduct problems and lower on peer problems at 14 years-old (n = 318) predicted a greater likelihood of transitioning to cannabis use within 5 years. At 19 years of age, individuals who consistently engaged in low-frequency (i.e., light) cannabis use (n = 57) exhibited greater conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms compared to non-users (n = 52) but did not differ in emotional symptoms, cognitive functioning, or brain activity during the MID task. At 22 years, those who used cannabis at both 19 and 22 years-old n = 17), but not individuals that had been abstinent for ≥ 1 month (n = 19), reported higher conduct problems than non-users (n = 17).

CONCLUSIONS: Impairments in reward-related brain activity and cognitive functioning do not appear to precede or succeed cannabis use (i.e., weekly, or monthly use). Cannabis-naïve adolescents with conduct problems and more socially engaged with their peers may be at a greater risk for lighter yet persistent cannabis use in the future.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1447-1461
Number of pages15
JournalPsychopharmacology
Volume241
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC11199211
Scopus 85189016194
ORCID /0000-0002-8493-6396/work/175758532
ORCID /0000-0001-5398-5569/work/175768369

Keywords

Keywords

  • Adolescents, Cannabis, Cognition, fMRI, Longitudinal, Psychopathology, Reward Processing