Genetic Pathways Point to the Biology Underlying the Association Between Cannabis Use Disorder and Psychosis

Abstract Background: Cannabis use is associated with increased risk of psychotic disorders, but the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. We used genetic data to investigate the molecular pathways contributing to the association between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and psychosis. Methods: We conducted a cross-disorder meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder (N = 547,508) to define a combined-psychosis genetic liability. Using summary statistics from the latest cross-ancestry GWAS of CUD, we performed multitrait conditional analysis