"I have heard that using marijuana can cause schizophrenia and i have heard the opposite. Is there any new or reputable research that shows the two are somehow linked?"
Answer: People genetically pre-disposed to Schizophrenia used cannabis more often…
A study, led by King’s College London, and published in the scholarly journal Molecular Psychiatry (Nov 2014), suggests that previous researchers may have misunderstood the dynamic linking marijuana and schizophrenia entirely.
“Studies have consistently shown a link between cannabis use and schizophrenia,” according to lead author Robert Power, from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, "We wanted to explore whether this is because of a direct cause and effect, or whether there may be shared genes which predispose individuals to both cannabis use and schizophrenia."
The study examined 2,082 healthy individuals, including 1,011 who’d previously used cannabis. For each participant, a ‘genetic risk profile’ was measured, based on the number of genes related to schizophrenia they carried. The findings showed that those genetically pre-disposed to schizophrenia used cannabis more often, and in greater quantities than those without schizophrenia risk genes.
“Our study certainly does not rule out that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia,” according to Powers. “But it suggests that there is likely to be an association in the other direction as well — that a predisposition to schizophrenia also increases your likelihood of cannabis use. Our study also highlights the complex interactions between genes and environments when we talk about cannabis as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Certain environmental risks, such as cannabis use, may be more likely given an individual’s innate behavior and personality, itself influenced by their genetic make-up. This is an important finding to consider when calculating the economic and health impact of cannabis."
Original Article:
Molecular Psychiatry 19, 1201-1204 (November 2014) | doi:10.1038/mp.2014.51
Genetic predisposition to schizophrenia associated with increased use of cannabis
R A Power, K J H Verweij, M Zuhair, G W Montgomery, A K Henders, A C Heath, P A F Madden, S E Medland, N R Wray and N G Martin
drpinto
