Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and early onset of cannabis use.

Full Abstract

AIMS:
To identify early onset cannabis users by measuring basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which may be a risk factor for early onset substance use when showing low activity.

DESIGN:
In a prospective cohort study, adolescents who initiated cannabis use at an early age (9-12 years), those who initiated at a later age (13-14 years) and those who did not use cannabis by the age of 14 were compared with respect to HPA axis activity.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:
Data were used from the first and second assessment wave of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), that included 1768 Dutch young adolescents aged 10-12 years who were followed-up across a period of 2 years.

MEASUREMENTS:
Cortisol was measured in saliva samples at awakening, 30 minutes later and at 8 p.m. at age 10-12. Self-reported age at first cannabis use was used.

FINDINGS:
The early onset group had lower cortisol levels 30 minutes after awakening than the late onset group (OR = 0.93, 95%

CI:
0.86-0.99). Furthermore, compared to non-users, the early and late onset cannabis users had higher levels of cortisol at 8 p.m. (OR = 1.25, 95%

CI:
1.03-1.53 and OR = 1.21, 95%

CI:
1.01-1.45, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:
Some evidence was found for HPA axis hypo-activity at awakening in adolescents with early onset of cannabis use compared to late onset users, which might indicate an increased risk for early onset users of seeking stimulation to restore arousal levels by using substances.

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Author information

Author/s: Huizink, Anja C (AC); Ferdinand, Robert F (RF); Ormel, Johan (J); Verhulst, Frank C (FC);

Affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. a.c.huizink(-atsign-)erasmusmc.nl

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Addiction (Abingdon, England) (Addiction), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Nov; vol 101 (issue 11) : pp 1581-8

Dates: Created 2006/10/12; Completed 2007/04/10;

PMID: 17034437, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Addiction. 2006 Nov;101(11):1538-9. (PMID: 17034431)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Cannabis
Child
Humans
Hydrocortisone - metabolism
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology

Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology
Marijuana Abuse - diagnosis
Netherlands - epidemiology
Pituitary-Adrenal System - physiology
Risk Factors
Substance Abuse Detection - methods

Associated Chemicals: Hydrocortisone (50-23-7)

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