title: Cognitive Function in Individuals With Psychosis: Moderation by Adolescent Cannabis Use.
abstract: Prior cannabis use, compared to nonuse, is reported to be associated with less cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. The age of cannabis use and the persistent influence of cannabis use on cognitive function has not been examined across the psychosis dimension. Ninety-seven volunteers with psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or bipolar psychosis) and 64 controls were recruited at the Dallas site of the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes consortium. Cannabis use history obtained in a semi-structured manner was used to categorize subjects into nonusers, adolescent-onset users, and late-onset users. The a priori hypothesis tested was that individuals with psychosis and a history of adolescent cannabis use (ACU) would have better global neuropsychological performance, as measured by the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) battery, compared to those with psychosis and no cannabis use history. BACS Composite scores were significantly higher in individuals with psychosis with ACU compared to individuals with psychosis and no prior cannabis use. In subgroup analyses, ACU influenced global cognition in the schizophrenia/schizoaffective (SCZ) subgroup but not the bipolar psychosis subgroup. Exploratory analyses within the SCZ group, suggest that ACU was associated with better performance in specific domains compared to non-ACU groups. There are distinct associations between age of cannabis use and neuropsychological function across psychotic illnesses. Specifically, ACU is associated with better cognitive function in SCZ but not bipolar psychosis. This age-dependent and diagnosis-specific influence of cannabis may need to be factored into the design of future cognitive studies in SCZ.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Rebecca C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shalvoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: C Munro
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cullum
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Elena I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Ivleva
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Matcheri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keshavan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Godfrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pearlson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: S Kristian
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tamminga
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Subroto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghose
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000150:complications*; D002188:Cannabis; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents
keywords: adolescence; bipolar; marijuana; neuropsychology; schizoaffective; schizophrenia