Cannabis and Major Mental Disorders Share Genes

The link between cannabis usage and Mental disorders has long been questioned. Cannabis is a psychotropic and addictive drug that can cause psychotic symptoms. Psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are distinguished by a profoundly distorted perspective of reality or a state of bewilderment.

According to a new study, there are shared genetic elements that underpin our propensity to cannabis usage as well as some mental disorders. The research was published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

“These findings may indicate that a subgroup of the population is at high risk for both cannabis use and certain psychiatric disorders, based on their genetics,” says Weiqiu Cheng.

She and Nadine Parker were the study’s first authors. They were both researchers at the Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), a Centre of Excellence at the University of Oslo, during the time of the study.

Genetics is Very Essential

Cannabis users are three times more likely to develop psychosis. Long-term cannabis use may potentially result in the development of bipolar disorder.

“We know that genetic factors affect an individual’s likelihood of using cannabis. We also know that genetic factors play an important role in determining an individual’s susceptibility to developing psychiatric disorders,” says Cheng.

What else can we learn from genetics?
Genetic variations are differences in the DNA code between people. When we talk about genetic variations related with a specific psychiatric condition, such as schizophrenia, it means that this variant may raise or decrease a person’s likelihood of acquiring that disorder.

“Previous research have shown that some of the genetic variants associated with cannabis use are also linked to psychiatric disorders,” says Cheng.

In other words, there is a genetic link between cannabis usage and some psychiatric problems. As a result, the researchers at NORMENT wanted to investigate this genetic link even further in this study.

Explains why some people are more vulnerable than others

“The study helps to explain why some individuals are more susceptible to both cannabis use and certain psychiatric disorders,” says Nadine Parker, postdoctoral fellow at NORMENT.

Because there is not simply a correlation between the genetic variations. The same genetic variations are responsible for a person’s predisposition to cannabis usage as well as the development of psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

“These findings are important as they show that the complex links between cannabis use and these disorders may not only be caused by cannabis use itself, but could also be driven by shared genetic susceptibility,” Parker explains.

Preventive actions focused at high-risk individuals are required
According to Cheng and Parker, these novel discoveries have significant clinical consequences.

“We can use the information from the study to develop preventive measures aimed at people at high risk. This could, for example, be to reduce cannabis use among people with a high genetic risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” Cheng says.

Information regarding shared genetic variations can also help to establish more tailored treatment strategies.

“Our improved knowledge about genetic overlap, could be used to stratify patients for more specialized treatment plans,” Parker says.

Some genetic variations have anti-cannabis and anti-psychotic properties

The study’s findings revealed that the majority of the common gene variations enhance the likelihood of cannabis usage as well as the development of schizophrenia or bipolar illness.

However, the NORMENT researchers discovered several genetic variations that have the reverse effect on cannabis usage and mental problems.

“We also found gene variants that increase the risk of cannabis use, while decrease the risk of the two psychiatric disorders. This finding suggests a complex relationship,” says Cheng.

Can cannabis be used to treat psychosis?
It’s also worth noting the finding of a huge number of genetic variations that have the opposite effect on cannabis usage and psychosis.

Cannabis is used medicinally in several parts of the world to relieve pain and as an antidepressant. One component of cannabis is being researched as a possible therapy for psychosis.

Cannabis use is higher in people with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, than in the general population.

According to the researchers, shared genetic variations with opposing effects may indicate the availability of biological pathways that could promote cannabis’s therapeutic benefits.

The study included advanced statistical methodologies

NORMENT researchers employed advanced statistical modeling to investigate the genetic link between psychotic illnesses and cannabis consumption.

“We leveraged the latest genetic evidence for cannabis use, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder in analyzes using state of the art methods that assess genetic overlap, causality, and prediction,” says Parker.

The study relied on prior genome-wide association research on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, cannabis use disorder, and lifetime cannabis use. These studies included almost a million individuals in total. The current analyses were carried out using genetic data from prior investigations.

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