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Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
Loading articles data…
Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
23 articles
Newest firstCannabis positive expectancies, favourable beliefs about cannabis effects, are a key risk factor for cannabis initiation and problematic use during adolescence. Prior research demonstrated a robust association between cannabis positive expectancies and increased use among adolescents, yet less is known about the developmental aetiology, biobehavioural mechanisms and cognitive context that contribute to these expec…
Open article record in new tab ↗Comorbid substance use disorders (SUDs) are common but difficult to study due to the complex, interacting and overlapping mechanisms through which they affect brain networks. Many datasets collected to investigate a specific SUD include participants with comorbid SUDs. Although most studies treat comorbid SUDs as covariates of no interest, these covariates also contain untapped information. This is particularly re…
Open article record in new tab ↗4F-ABUTINACA, a fourth-generation synthetic cannabinoid, has been identified in branded herbal smoking mixtures and e-cigarettes seized in China. However, its potential for abuse and its corresponding neurotoxic effects remain poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated the abuse potential of 4F-ABUTINACA using the intravenous self-administration (IVSA) model and assessed anxiety-like behaviour using the…
Open article record in new tab ↗The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) in the hippocampus has been involved in impulsivity and alcohol consumption in adolescent rats. However, the role of CB1R in the cerebellum, despite that structure's exceptionally high CB1R density, remains unexplored. We therefore tested the hypothesis that cerebellar CB1R contributes to regulating impulsive behaviour, alcohol consumption and seeking. Male Wistar rats, adolescent…
Open article record in new tab ↗Cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as a potential treatment option for various psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders. This systematic review is aimed at reviewing the evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of CBD as a therapeutic option in opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in clinical and preclinical studies. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, CDSR and CENTRAL up to…
Cannabis is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs worldwide, with its prolonged use potentially leading to various cognitive impairments and brain structural changes. However, current research on the dynamic changes in cortical thickness (CT) related to cannabis use remains limited, especially regarding the relationship between the severity of cannabis use and CT changes in heavy cannabis use (HCU). This stu…
Despite its widespread use and popularity, cannabis is known to impact higher order cognitive processes such as attention and executive function. However, far less is known about the impact of chronic cannabis use on cognitive flexibility, a component of executive function, and this is especially true for the underlying functional connectivity dynamics. To address this, we enrolled 25 chronic cannabis users and 30…
Open article record in new tab ↗Although substance use is associated with a shortened lifespan, impeded health and accelerated biological ageing, the factors contributing to the associations between substance use and ageing are poorly understood. We used summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to investigate whether substance involvement (N from 28K to 2M)-including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and opioid use and use disorde…
Dopamine D2 receptor (D2R)-mediated signalling is involved in reward, motivation and alcohol use disorder. Perturbation of the D2R system may influence an individual's response to alcohol. Alternative splicing of the D2R gene generates two isoforms: D2 long form (D2L) and D2 short form (D2S). It is unclear whether differences in the expression of D2L and D2S influence alcohol's effects. Here we examined if altered…
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) affects ~22-million people globally and is characterised by difficulties in cutting down and quitting use, but the underlying neurobiology remains unclear. We examined resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between regions of interest (ROIs) of the addiction neurocircuitry and the rest of the brain in 65 individuals with moderate-to-severe CUD who reported attempts to cut down or…
Cue-induced craving-the desire to use a drug triggered by exposure to cues associated with prior use-is a central mechanism in the development and maintenance of problematic substance use behaviours. Drug cues have the power to induce craving even in long-term abstinent individuals, which has led clinicians to advise patients to avoid the people, places and objects that are associated with their use. This prelimin…
Open article record in new tab ↗Whilst mitochondrial inhibition and micronuclear fragmentation are well established features of the cannabis literature mitochondrial stress and dysfunction has recently been shown to be a powerful and direct driver of micronucleus formation and chromosomal breakage by multiple mechanisms. In turn genotoxic damage can be expected to be expressed as increased rates of cancer, congenital anomalies and aging; patholo…
Open article record in new tab ↗Substance use disorders are characterized by inhibition deficits related to disrupted connectivity in white matter pathways, leading via interaction to difficulties in resisting substance use. By combining neuroimaging with smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA), we questioned how biomarkers moderate inhibition deficits to predict use. Thus, we aimed to assess white matter integrity interaction wit…
The addictive use of nicotine contained in tobacco is associated with stressor-like emotional and cognitive effects such as anxiety and working memory impairment, and the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms such as histone acetylation has recently been reported. Although the precise nature of behavioural plasticity remains unclear, both anxiogenic- and working memory impairment-like effects were observed in the p…
Open article record in new tab ↗The brain mechanisms underlying the risk of cannabis use disorder (CUD) are poorly understood. Several studies have reported changes in functional connectivity (FC) in CUD, although none have focused on the study of time-varying patterns of FC. To fill this important gap of knowledge, 39 individuals at risk for CUD and 55 controls, stratified by their score on a self-screening questionnaire for cannabis-related pr…
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) remains a significant public health issue globally, affecting up to one in five adults who use cannabis. Despite extensive research into the molecular underpinnings of the condition, there are no effective pharmacological treatment options available. Therefore, we sought to further explore genetic analyses to prioritise opportunities to repurpose existing drugs for CUD. Specifically, we…
Open article record in new tab ↗Cannabis use disorder is frequent in schizophrenia patients, and it is associated with an earlier age of onset and poor schizophrenia prognosis. Serotonin 2A receptors (5-HT2AR) have been involved in psychosis and, like Akt kinase, are known to be modulated by THC. Likewise, endocannabinoid system dysregulation has been suggested in schizophrenia. The presence of these molecules in blood makes them interesting tar…
AbstractRecently, it has been suggested that central and peripheral toxicities identified in persons with substance use disorder (SUD) could be partially associated with an imbalance in reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defenses. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to investigate whether SUD is associated with oxidative stress and to identify biomarkers possibly more affected by this condition…
Individuals most often use several rather than one substance among alcohol, cigarettes or cannabis. This widespread co-occurring use of multiple substances is thought to stem from a common liability that is partly genetic in origin. Genetic risk may indirectly contribute to a common liability to substance use through genetically influenced mental health vulnerabilities and individual traits. To test this possibili…
Open article record in new tab ↗Cue reactivity is an important biomarker of cannabis use disorder (CUD). Despite high rates of cigarette and cannabis co-use, its role in cannabis cue reactivity remains unclear. Using a visual functional magnetic resonance imaging cue reactivity paradigm, we investigated interactive effects of cannabis and cigarette use on cannabis cue relative to cigarette and neutral cue reactivity in a priori regions of intere…
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