Introducing the ASI-NPI project: preliminary analysis of a study exploring the role of cannabis, salience alterations and youth in determining psychotic symptoms severity
Research Square November 20, 2023 Ottone Baccaredda Boy, Giuseppe Pierpaolo Merola, Andrea Patti et al.
Adolescents reported more severe psychotic symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale than adults, while no significant difference was found in cannabis exposure or Aberrant Salience Inventory scores. A hierarchical pattern emerged among adult subgroups, with psychotic patients scoring higher than other psychiatric and neurological patients. The findings suggest that aberrant salience, and to a lesser degree cannabis use, may contribute to psychotic symptom severity, particularly during more at-risk developmental phases. The role of cannabis in this relationship remains unclear.