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Sex and dependence related neuroanatomical differences in regular cannabis users : Findings from the ENIGMA Addiction Working Group
Rossetti, Maria Gloria Mackey, Scott Patalay, Praveetha Allen, Nicholas B. Batalla, Albert Bellani, Marcella Chye, Yann Conrod, Patricia Cousijn, Janna Garavan, Hugh
Rossetti, Maria Gloria
Mackey, Scott
Patalay, Praveetha
Allen, Nicholas B.
Batalla, Albert
Bellani, Marcella
Chye, Yann
Conrod, Patricia
Cousijn, Janna
Garavan, Hugh
Author
Rossetti, Maria Gloria
Mackey, Scott
Patalay, Praveetha
Allen, Nicholas B.
Batalla, Albert
Bellani, Marcella
Chye, Yann
Conrod, Patricia
Cousijn, Janna
Garavan, Hugh
Goudriaan, Anna E.
Hester, Robert
Martin-Santos, Rocio
Solowij, Nadia
Suo, Chao
Thompson, Paul M.
Yücel, Murat
Brambilla, Paolo
Lorenzetti, Valentina
Mackey, Scott
Patalay, Praveetha
Allen, Nicholas B.
Batalla, Albert
Bellani, Marcella
Chye, Yann
Conrod, Patricia
Cousijn, Janna
Garavan, Hugh
Goudriaan, Anna E.
Hester, Robert
Martin-Santos, Rocio
Solowij, Nadia
Suo, Chao
Thompson, Paul M.
Yücel, Murat
Brambilla, Paolo
Lorenzetti, Valentina
Abstract
Males and females show different patterns of cannabis use and related psychosocial outcomes. However, the neuroanatomical substrates underlying such differences are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to map sex differences in the neurobiology (as indexed by brain volumes) of dependent and recreational cannabis use. We compared the volume of a priori regions of interest (i.e., amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, insula, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex and cerebellum) between 129 regular cannabis users (of whom 70 were recreational users and 59 cannabis dependent) and 114 controls recruited from the ENIGMA Addiction Working Group, accounting for intracranial volume, age, IQ, and alcohol and tobacco use. Dependent cannabis users, particularly females, had (marginally significant) smaller volumes of the lateral OFC and cerebellar white matter than recreational users and controls. In dependent (but not recreational) cannabis users, there was a significant association between female sex and smaller volumes of the cerebellar white matter and OFC. Volume of the OFC was also predicted by monthly standard drinks. No significant effects emerged the other brain regions of interest. Our findings warrant future multimodal studies that examine if sex and cannabis dependence are specific key drivers of neurobiological alterations in cannabis users. This, in turn, could help to identify neural pathways specifically involved in vulnerable cannabis users (e.g., females with cannabis dependence) and inform individually tailored neurobiological targets for treatment.
Keywords
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Translational Psychiatry
Book
Volume
11
Issue
1
Page Range
1-11
Article Number
Article 272
ACU Department
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open