Cannabis use and cognitive functioning in first-episode schizophrenia patients.
Summary of "Cannabis use and cognitive functioning in first-episode schizophrenia patients."
Cannabis is one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world. In healthy individuals cannabis is associated with cognitive impairments. Research into the effect of cannabis use in schizophrenia has yielded contradictory findings. Our aim has been to explore the correlates of cannabis use in cognitive and psychopathological features, both cross-sectional and longitudinally, in early phases of schizophrenia. 104 patients with a first episode of non-affective psychosis and 37 healthy controls were studied. Patients were classified according to their use of cannabis prior to the onset of the illness (47 users vs. 57 non-users). They were cross-sectionally and longitudinally studied and compared on clinical and cognitive variables and also on their level of premorbid adjustment. Cannabis user patients had better attention and executive functions than non-cannabis user patients at baseline and after 1year of treatment. Both groups showed similar improvement in their cognitive functioning during the 1-year follow-up period. We also found that users had a better social premorbid adjustment, particularly during the early periods of life. The amount of cannabis consumed and the length of time of consumption did not significantly relate to cognitive performance. The use of cannabis does not seem to be associated with a negative effect on cognition in a representative sample of first-episode schizophrenia patients. Cannabis user patients appear to comprise a subgroup of patients with a better premorbid adjustment and premorbid frontal cognitive functions.
Affiliation
Department of Psychiatry, CIBERSAM, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, IFIMAV, Santander, Spain.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Schizophrenia research
ISSN: 1573-2509
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20826079
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2010.08.017
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
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Capacity that enables an individual to cope with and/or recover from the impact of a neural injury or a psychotic episode.
Executive Function
A set of cognitive functions that controls complex, goal-directed thought and behavior. Executive function involves multiple domains, such as CONCEPT FORMATION, goal management, cognitive flexibility, INHIBITION control, and WORKING MEMORY. Impaired executive function is seen in a range of disorders, e.g., SCHIZOPHRENIA; and ADHD.
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Schizophrenia And Disorders With Psychotic Features
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Schizophrenia, Paranoid
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