ADHD and cannabis use in young adults examined using fMRI of a Go/NoGo task.
Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for substance abuse. Response inhibition is a hallmark of ADHD, yet the combined effects of ADHD and regular substance use on neural networks associated with response inhibition are unknown. Task-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from young adults with childhood ADHD with (n = 25) and without (n = 25) cannabis use ≥ monthly in the past year were compared with a local normative comparison group (LNCG) with (n = 11) and without (n = 12) cannabis use. Go/NoGo behavioral and fMRI data were evaluated for main and interaction effects of ADHD diagnosis and cannabis use. ADHD participants made significantly more commission errors on NoGo trials than controls. ADHD participants also had less frontoparietal and frontostriatal activity, independent of cannabis use. No main effects of cannabis use on response inhibition or functional brain activation were observed. An interaction of ADHD diagnosis and cannabis use was found in the right hippocampus and cerebellar vermis, with increased recruitment of these regions in cannabis-using controls during correct response inhibition. ADHD participants had impaired response inhibition combined with less fronto-parietal/striatal activity, regardless of cannabis use history. Cannabis use did not impact behavioral response inhibition. Cannabis use was associated with hippocampal and cerebellar activation, areas rich in cannabinoid receptors, in LNCG but not ADHD participants. This may reflect recruitment of compensatory circuitry in cannabis using controls but not ADHD participants. Future studies targeting hippocampal and cerebellar-dependent function in these groups may provide further insight into how this circuitry is altered by ADHD and cannabis use.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, 5251 California Avenue, Suite 240, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
Jerod
J
Rasmussen
Weill Cornell Medical College, Sackler Institute, New York, NY, USA.
B J
BJ
Casey
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, 5251 California Avenue, Suite 240, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
Theo G M
TG
van Erp
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Leanne
L
Tamm
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Jeffery N
JN
Epstein
Institut für Medizinische Psychologie Luisenstraße, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Claudia
C
Buss
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
James M
JM
Bjork
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Brooke S G
BS
Molina
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Katerina
K
Velanova
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Daniel H
DH
Mathalon
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Leah
L
Somerville
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, 5251 California Avenue, Suite 240, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
James M
JM
Swanson
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, 5251 California Avenue, Suite 240, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
Tim
T
Wigal
Ohio State University, Sunbury, OH, USA.
L Eugene
LE
Arnold
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, 5251 California Avenue, Suite 240, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA. sgpotkin@uci.edu.
Steven G
SG
Potkin
D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002188:Cannabis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D057566:Self Report; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
ADHD; Cannabis; Go/NoGo; Inhibition; Marijuana; fMRI