The Relationship Between Cannabis Use And Psychotic Experience Along With Their Effects On Cognitive Functions
Project no. 21092 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2020
Summary
<p><strong>INTRODUCTION: </strong>Cannabis is the most commonly abused illicit drug. There are studies showing the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis. In the concept of psychosis continuum, psychotic experience indicates unusual thought content and perceptual disturbances that do not cause impairment in functionality. There is limited data in the literature on the relationship between cannabis use and psychotic experience. There is no clear consensus on the effects of the presence of psychotic experience and cannabis use on cognitive functions.</p><p><strong>AIM: </strong>The study has two main objectives. One of these is to evaluate the relationship between cannabis use characteristics and psychotic experience. The other one is to evaluate the effects of cannabis use characteristics and the presence of psychotic experience on cognitive functions. Additional diagnoses were determined by applying a structured clinical interview (SCID) for DSM-5 axis I disorders.</p><p><strong>METHOD: </strong>Individuals with regular cannabis use were included in the study. Participants were evaluated with the Composite International Diagnosis Interview (CIDI) for the presence of psychotic experiences. A total of 40 people, including 20 participants with no psychotic experiences and 20 participants with psychotic experiences were included. The case report form was filled out and the Substance Use Disorder Recognition Test (DUDIT), Trail Making Test, Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Stroop Test, Schizotypal Personality Scale and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered. The primary outcome of the study is the relationship between cannabis use characteristics and psychotic experience. The secondary outcome of the study is the relationship between both psychotic experiences and cannabis</p><p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A total of 40 people, including 20 participants with no psychotic experiences and 20 participants with psychotic experiences were included. In terms of sociodemographic characteristics, a significant difference was found only in the formal years of education. A significant relationship was found between cannabis use in adolescence and psychotic experience. The presence of a psychotic experience was found to be associated with worse performance on the Trail Making A Test. There was a significant positive correlation between DUDIT score and both Trail Making B Test and Stroop Test Color Word Reading. Cannabis use in adolescence was found to be associated with poor performance of Trail Making B Test, RAVLT recognition subscale and Stroop Test Color Word Reading Errors.</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>According to the results of this study; A relationship between the cannabis use in adolescence and presence of psychotic experience was found. It has been shown that the presence of psychotic experience is only related to the Trail Making A Test among cognitive functions. Cannabis use in adolescence and consumption of higher quantities of cannabis have negative effects on cognitive functions. These findings may be a guide for prospective studies with larger samples.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Psychotic experience, cannabis, cognition</p>