Cannabis Use in Autism: Reasons for Concern about Risk for Psychosis
Healthcare August 16, 2022 Riccardo Bortoletto, Marco Colizzi
Autism spectrum individuals are especially vulnerable to the pro-psychotic effects of cannabinoid exposure, which increases their risk of psychosis and may be passed to their children. Cannabis exposure in these individuals appears to cause disruptive epigenetic changes that can be inherited across generations in brain areas critical for schizophrenia. These cannabinoid-induced epigenetic effects also make autism candidate genes more vulnerable to later disruption, potentially leading to psychosis. The findings support a developmental link between autism and psychosis through endocannabinoid system modulation, though this evidence has been underappreciated.