title: Brain volume in male patients with recent onset schizophrenia with and without cannabis use disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizophrenia is highly comorbid with cannabis use disorders (CUDs), and this comorbidity is associated with an unfavourable course. Early onset or frequent cannabis use may influence brain structure. A key question is whether comorbid CUDs modulate brain morphology alterations associated with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used surface-based analysis to measure the brain volume, cortical thickness and cortical surface area of a priori-defined brain regions (hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, caudate, putamen, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, parahippocampus and fusiform gyrus) in male patients with schizophrenia or related disorders with and without comorbid CUDs and matched healthy controls. Associations between age at onset and frequency of cannabis use with regional grey matter volume were explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 113 patients with (CUD, n = 80) and without (NCUD, n = 33) CUDs and 84 controls in our study. As expected, patients with schizophrenia (with or without a CUD) had smaller volumes of most brain regions (amygdala, putamen, insula, parahippocampus and fusiform gyrus) than healthy controls, and differences in cortical volume were mainly driven by cortical thinning. Compared with the NCUD group, the CUD group had a larger volume of the putamen, possibly driven by polysubstance use. No associations between age at onset and frequency of use with regional grey matter volumes were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We were unable to correct for possible confounding effects of smoking or antipsychotic medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with psychotic disorders and comorbid CUDs have larger putamen volumes than those without CUDs. Future studies should elaborate whether a large putamen represents a risk factor for the development of CUDs or whether (poly)substance use causes changes in putamen volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koenders
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marise W J
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Machielsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: van der Meer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Angelique C M
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: van Gasselt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Carin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maarten W J
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Koeter
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Matthan W A
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Caan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Janna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cousijn
authors.affiliation: VU medical center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anouk
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: den Braber
authors.affiliation: VU medical center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van 't Ent
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maaike M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rive
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Aart H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Schene
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elsmarieke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van de Giessen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and the De Bascule, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Chaim
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huyser
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bart P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: de Kwaasteniet
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and the VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dick J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Veltman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lieuwe
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Haan
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents