Cannabis Use in Autism: Reasons for Concern about Risk for Psychosis

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Being particularly vulnerable to the pro-psychotic effects of cannabinoid exposure, autism spectrum individuals present with an increased risk of psychosis, which may be passed on to their own children. More specifically, cannabis exposure among autism spectrum individuals seems to exert disruptive epigenetic effects that can be intergenerationally inherited in brain areas which play a critical role in schizophrenia pathophysiology. Additionally, because of such cannabinoid-induced epigenetic effects, autism candidate genes present with bivalent chromatin markings which make them more vulnerable to subsequent disruption, possibly leading to psychosis onset later in life. Thus, findings support a developmental trajectory between autism and psychosis, as per endocannabinoid system modulation. However, such evidence has not received the attention it deserves.