Cannabis Use in Teens With Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia happens to be caused by an imbalance of chemical reactions within the brain. While this disorder stems from genetics, environmental factors can contribute to the onset of this disorder. Researchers at TSU Sackler's School of Medicine, Dr. Ran Barzilay, and led by Professor Dani Offenm are conducting a study to see how cannabis plays a role in mental disorders. They now consider cannabis (weed) as a trigger to people that already have the gene for Schizophrenia. By smoking weed, there is a higher chance that schizophrenia will develop if one is already susceptible to the disorder.

They conducted research that proves cannabis has a different effect on people that are susceptible for developing the disorder versus people that are not. In their study, they used mice to see both effects on the brain. Mice that were exposed to THC, were found to be at higher risk for brain deficits with the onset of schizophrenia. They also discovered a protective mechanism in the non-susceptible mice that involved upregulation of a protective factor in the hippocampus. If this protective factor was able to be injected into the susceptible mice, they could be protected from the effects of THC and have a choice of whether or not they want to use cannabis. For now, they are encouraging people with the gene for Schizophrenia or any other psychiatric disorder to not partake in smoking cannabis during adolescence.

I do wish that this article got more into detail about the effects people were experiencing and what it is about cannabis specifically that may bring on the onset of Schizophrenia. I also am curious about how their Schizophrenia symptoms will differ from others that never smoked cannabis. My guess would be that paranoia is going to take place through smoking cannabis. Usually people smoke cannabis in order to relax but in this case, I believe it may heighten the symptoms. Combining the negative effects of weed and Schizophrenic symptoms are not a friendly match! The research conducted seems like it can be valid but there are a few implications. They may be able to physically inject the protective factor into the mice but I wonder how they would do that for humans that are suffering. If there is more intensive research, I think this research may prosper. This information can help anyone that is Schizophrenic engage in healthy behaviors before they go down the wrong road.


Reference: http://neurosciencenews.com/schizophrenia-teens-cannabis-6513/

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 28, 2017 at 2:29 PM

    I find your summation of this study very interesting. With cannabis becoming more mainstream and often now seen as medical intervention, the real-life application of potentially treating such disorders with cannabis is likely. It is surprising that THC had this adverse effect on deficits related to schizophrenia, as THC is a depressant and could presumably decrease activity in the frontal lobe. that being said, it is difficult to predict psychotropic effects in such topics.

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  2. Katie GerrityApril 28, 2017 at 2:43 PM

    I also read an article on the effects of cannabis on mental health. After reading both articles, I am still unsure of the specific relationship and interaction between cannabis and schizophrenia. Both articles have failed to show which symptoms of schizophrenia are worsened and what makes an individual more "susceptible" to schizophrenia than others. This research is very interesting to me because, like Colin mentioned above, cannabis use is becoming more widely used as a treatment for other mental health disorders, like anxiety, so it is interesting that the opposite effect on individuals with schizophrenia is observed. There are also different strains and varieties of cannabis used in the treatment of different disorders. I am curious to know if a specific strain causes worsened symptoms of schizophrenia or if it is cannabis use in general.

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