Abstract
There is substantial evidence for the assumption that particularly heavy cannabis usett is associated with a variety of psychopathologic conditions. Little is known about the relationship between cannabis and anxiety. Prior studies have concluded that cannabis use alone is not sufficient for the development of long-term anxiety, and it has been suggested that cannabis is simply a risk factor that operates in conjunction with other risk factors. One such risk factor may be an individuals' genetic vulnerability. The present study examines the relationship between cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety by taking a developmental molecular-genetic perspective with a focus on a polymorphism involved in the regulation of serotonin. Specifically, we concentrated on changes in cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety over time and differences herein for individuals with and without the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR genotype. Data were from 1424 adolescents over a period of 5 years. We used different statistical analyses to test co-development of cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety throughout adolescence and the possible role of the 5-HTTLPR genotype in this process. Results from different analyses showed that cannabis use is associated with an increase in symptoms of anxiety, but only in carriers of the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR genotype, not in non-carriers. The findings of the present study show first evidence that the links between cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety are conditional on the individuals' genetic make-up.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1081-1089 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Addiction Biology |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 10 Feb 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2017 |
Funding
This research is part of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Participating centers of TRAILS include various departments of the University Medical Center and University of Groningen, the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the University of Utrecht, the Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen and the Parnassia Bavo group, all in the Netherlands. TRAILS has been financially supported by various grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO (Medical Research Council program grant GB-MW 940-38-011; ZonMW Brainpower grant 100-001-004; ZonMw Risk Behavior and Dependence grants 60-60600-98-018 and 60-60600-97-118; ZonMw Culture and Health grant 261-98-710; Social Sciences Council medium-sized investment grants GB-MaGW 480-01-006 and GB-MaGW 480-07-001; Social Sciences Council project grants GB-MaGW 457-03-018, GB-MaGW 452-04-314 and GB-MaGW 452-06-004; and NWO large-sized investment grant 175.010.2003.005); the Sophia Foundation for Medical Research (projects 301 and 393), the Dutch Ministry of Justice (WODC), the European Science Foundation (EuroSTRESS project FP-006) and the participating universities. We are grateful to all adolescents, their parents and teachers who participated in this research and to everyone who worked on this project and made it possible. RO, AH and SO were responsible for the study concept and design. RO performed the analyses and drafted the manuscript. AH, SO, HC and KM assisted with interpretation of the findings. All authors critically reviewed content and approved final version for publication.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Dutch Ministry of Justice | |
| Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam | |
| Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO | |
| Parnassia Bavo group | |
| Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen | |
| Social Sciences Council | GB-MaGW 480-07-001, GB-MaGW 452-06-004, GB-MaGW 457-03-018, GB-MaGW 480-01-006, GB-MaGW 452-04-314 |
| Sophia Foundation for Medical Research | 301, 393 |
| University Medical Center | |
| ZonMW Brainpower | 100-001-004 |
| ZonMw Culture and Health | 261-98-710 |
| ZonMw Risk Behavior and Dependence | 60-60600-97-118, 60-60600-98-018 |
| Medical Research Council | GB-MW 940-38-011 |
| European Science Foundation | FP-006 |
| Rijksuniversiteit Groningen | |
| Universiteit Utrecht | |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 175.010.2003.005 |
| Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum |
