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Pharmacopsychiatry 2019; 52(03): 126-133
DOI: 10.1055/a-0573-9866
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Impact of Chronic Cannabis Use on Auditory Mismatch Negativity Generation in Schizophrenia Patients

Patrik Roser
1   Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Präventivmedizin, LWL-Universitätsklinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
2   Zentrum für Abhängigkeitserkrankungen, Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG, Akademisches Lehrspital der Universität Zürich, Switzerland
,
Eva-Maria Pichler
3   Bereich Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG, Akademisches Lehrspital der Universität Zürich, Switzerland
,
Benedikt Habermeyer
2   Zentrum für Abhängigkeitserkrankungen, Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG, Akademisches Lehrspital der Universität Zürich, Switzerland
,
Wolfram Kawohl
3   Bereich Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG, Akademisches Lehrspital der Universität Zürich, Switzerland
,
Georg Juckel
1   Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Präventivmedizin, LWL-Universitätsklinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 26 July 2017
revised 20 December 2017

accepted 05 February 2018

Publication Date:
05 March 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Introduction Cannabis use disorders (CUD) are highly prevalent among patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). Deficient mismatch negativity (MMN) generation is a characteristic finding in SCZ patients and cannabis users. This study therefore examined the effects of CUD on MMN generation in SCZ patients.

Methods Twenty SCZ − CUD patients, 21 SCZ+CUD patients, and 20 healthy controls (HC) were included in this study. MMN to frequency and duration deviants was elicited within an auditory oddball paradigm and recorded by 32 channel EEG.

Results As expected, SCZ − CUD patients showed reduced frontocentral MMN amplitudes to duration deviants compared to HC. Interestingly, SCZ+CUD patients demonstrated greater MMN amplitudes to duration deviants compared to SCZ − CUD patients at central electrodes with no differences compared to HC.

Discussion These results demonstrate that comorbid cannabis use in SCZ patients might be associated with superior cognitive functioning. It can be assumed that the association between cannabis use and better cognitive performance may be due to a subgroup of cognitively less impaired SCZ patients characterized by lower genetic vulnerability for psychosis.

Key words

cannabis - mismatch negativity - event-related potentials - schizophrenia - comorbidity
 

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