Acute Effects of Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol on the Auditory Evoked Mismatch Negativity are Modulated by the NRG1 Gene

Reduced amplitudes of auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) are a robust finding in schizophrenia, indicating deficient auditory information processing. Cannabis-induced psychotic states may resemble schizophrenic disorders. Yet, as previously reported, Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, has no effect on MMN generation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether variations in the potential susceptibility gene for schizophrenia, neuregulin 1 (NRG1), modulate the effects of Δ⁹-THC on MMN generation in 22 healthy subjects. Our analysis showed that NRG1 (rs783406) was significantly associated with the MMN amplitude, particularly at central electrodes. These data indicate that variations within NRG1 may alter the sensitivity to the cognitive effects of cannabinoids.

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