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Neurofunctional changes in adolescent cannabis users with and without bipolar disorder
Author(s) -
Bitter Samantha M.,
Adler Caleb M.,
Eliassen James C.,
Weber Wade A.,
Welge Jeffrey A.,
Burciaga Joaquin,
Shear Paula K.,
Strakowski Stephen M.,
DelBello Melissa P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.12668
Subject(s) - cannabis , bipolar disorder , psychology , psychiatry , addiction , clinical psychology , medicine , mood
Abstract Aims To compare regional brain activation among adolescents with bipolar disorder and co‐occurring cannabis use disorder. Design Cross‐sectional study. Setting C incinnati, OH , USA . Participants Adolescents with bipolar disorder ( BP , n = 14), adolescents with cannabis use disorder ( MJ , n = 13), adolescents with co‐occurring cannabis use and bipolar disorders ( BPMJ , n = 25) and healthy adolescents ( HC , n = 15). Measurements Cannabis craving, substance use, Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent ( BOLD) signal assessed by the M arijuana C raving Q uestionnaire ( MCQ ), T een‐ A ddiction S everity I ndex ( T ‐ ASI ) and a cannabis cue–reactivity task during a functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI) session, respectively. Findings The BP group exhibited significantly greater brain activation than the BPMJ group in the right amygdala ( F = 4.14, P = 0.046), left nucleus accumbens ( F = 3.8, P = 0.02), left thalamus ( F = 3.8, P < 0.05) and the right thalamus ( F = 6.2, P = 0.02). The BP group exhibited significantly greater activation than the HC group in the left nucleus accumbens ( F = 11.5, P = 0.0001), right thalamus ( F = 4.9, P = 0.03) and the left striatum ( F = 3.6, P = 0.04). Left amygdala activation of the BPMJ group trended towards being significantly negatively correlated with the number of joints smoked ( R = −0.4, P = 0.06). Conclusions Bipolar adolescents with comorbid cannabis use do not exhibit the same over‐activation of the regions involved in emotional processing as seen in adolescents with bipolar disorder alone. The absence of these findings in patients with comorbid bipolar and cannabis use disorders suggests that these individuals may have a unique endophenotype of bipolar disorder or that cannabis use may alter brain activation uniquely in bipolar disorder patients who use cannabis.