title: [Schizophrenia and cannabis consumption: epidemiology and clinical symptoms].
abstract: More and more young people consume cannabis in sometimes high dosage at an age when their brain is not yet fully developed and reacts particularly sensitive to toxic influences. Cannabis can induce and exacerbate psychotic symptoms and it can deteriorate the disease process in schizophrenic patients. First-episode schizophrenic patients with long-term cannabis consumption were significantly younger at disease-onset, mostly male and suffered more often from paranoid schizophrenia (with a better prognosis) than those without cannabis consumption in our investigation. The significance of higher serum neurotrophin levels in cannabis consuming schizophrenics as compared to those without cannabis consumption remains equivocal so far. The cognitive functions of this patient group are at least not worse than in those with schizophrenia alone. Taken together, the effect of cannabis on the brain vulnerable to schizophrenia is not yet completely understood; besides the undoubtedly deleterious effects, there may also be some neuroprotective effects.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Hochschulambulanz für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin. maria.jockers@charite.de
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jockers-Scherübl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000009:adverse effects; D015897:Comorbidity; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors