Altered cerebellar-cortical resting-state functional connectivity in cannabis users
Ashley M. Schnakenberg Martin, Dae-Jin Kim, Sharlene D. Newman, Hu Cheng, W. Hetrick, K. Mackie, B. O’Donnell
Journal of Psychopharmacology May 25, 2021 DOI: 10.1177/02698811211019291 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractRegular cannabis users show altered resting-state functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex compared with non-using peers. The anterior cerebellum is hyperconnected to the posterior cingulate cortex, while most other cerebellar regions are hypoconnected to the cortex. These connectivity changes may affect behavior and cognition. No associations were found between cannabis use features—such as age of initiation or lifetime use—and the observed connectivity differences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 72 |
| Population | Regular cannabis users and healthy non-using peers |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Cannabis users show hyperconnectivity between anterior cerebellar regions and the posterior cingulate cortex, and hypoconnectivity between most other cerebellar regions and the cortex. |
Abstract
Background: Cannabis use has been associated with abnormalities in cerebellar mediated motor and non-motor (i.e. cognition and personality) phenomena. Since the cerebellum is a region with high cannabinoid type 1 receptor density, these impairments may reflect alterations of signaling between the cerebellum and other brain regions. Aims: We hypothesized that cerebellar-cortical resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) would be altered in cannabis users, relative to their non-using peers. It was also hypothesized that differences in rsFC would be associated with cannabis use features, such as age of initiation and lifetime use. Methods: Cerebellar-cortical and subcortical rsFCs were computed between 28 cerebellar lobules, defined by a spatially unbiased atlas template of the cerebellum, and individual voxels in the cerebral regions, in 41 regular cannabis users (20 female) and healthy non-using peers (N = 31; 18 female). We also investigated associations between rsFC and cannabis use features (e.g. lifetime cannabis use and age of initiation). Results: Cannabis users demonstrated hyperconnectivity between the anterior cerebellar regions (i.e. lobule I-IV) with the posterior cingulate cortex, and hypoconnectivity between the rest of the cerebellum (i.e. Crus I and II, lobule VIIb, VIIIa, VIIIb, IX, and X) and the cortex. No associations were observed between features of cannabis use and rsFC. Conclusions: Cannabis use was associated with altered patterns of rsFC from the cerebellum to the cerebral cortex which may have a downstream impact on behavior and cognition.