Cannabis users show higher schizotypy traits and aberrant salience but normal salience processing on lab tasks
Among 346 university students, current cannabis users reported higher schizotypy traits and more aberrant salience experiences on self-report measures, but did not show impaired salience processing on an objective laboratory task.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Current cannabis use was associated with higher "disorganized" and "cognitive-perceptual" schizotypy scores and higher aberrant salience inventory scores. However, neither lifetime nor current cannabis use was associated with abnormal latent inhibition (LI), an objective measure of salience processing. Higher scores on specific aberrant salience subscales ("senses sharpening" and "heightened cognition") did predict decreased LI, regardless of cannabis use.
Key Numbers
346 participants. Cannabis users had higher disorganized and cognitive-perceptual SPQ scores and higher total ASI scores. No association between cannabis use and LI performance.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional study of 346 university students who completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, Aberrant Salience Inventory, Cannabis Experience Questionnaire, and a latent inhibition task. Regression models and Bayesian analyses used.
Why This Research Matters
The disconnect between self-reported aberrant salience (which is higher in cannabis users) and objective salience processing (which is normal) helps clarify the mechanism by which cannabis might increase psychosis risk.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that subjective aberrant salience experiences increase with cannabis use but objective salience processing remains intact in non-clinical populations suggests that cannabis may shift perception and interpretation without fundamentally disrupting the underlying cognitive mechanism.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Non-clinical university sample. Cross-sectional design. Self-reported cannabis use. LI task may lack sensitivity for detecting subtle impairments. Cannot distinguish acute from chronic cannabis effects.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would heavier cannabis users or clinical populations show LI impairments?
- ?Does the increased subjective aberrant salience represent a preclinical stage of psychosis risk?
- ?Could acute intoxication produce different results?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Higher subjective aberrant salience but normal objective salience processing
- Evidence Grade:
- Well-designed cross-sectional study with both subjective and objective measures, but non-clinical sample limits generalizability.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022.
- Original Title:
- Latent inhibition, aberrant salience, and schizotypy traits in cannabis users.
- Published In:
- Schizophrenia research. Cognition, 28, 100235 (2022)
- Authors:
- Dawes, Christopher(3), Quinn, Declan(2), Bickerdike, Andrea(3), O'Neill, Cian, Granger, Kiri T, Pereira, Sarah Carneiro, Mah, Sue Lynn, Haselgrove, Mark, Waddington, John L, O'Tuathaigh, Colm, Moran, Paula M
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03789
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do cannabis users process information differently?
Cannabis users in this study reported more experiences of aberrant salience (attributing unusual significance to stimuli) on self-report measures, but performed normally on an objective laboratory measure of salience processing.
What does this mean for psychosis risk?
The gap between subjective experience and objective performance suggests cannabis may change how people interpret their experiences without fundamentally disrupting the underlying cognitive machinery, at least in non-clinical populations.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03789APA
Dawes, Christopher; Quinn, Declan; Bickerdike, Andrea; O'Neill, Cian; Granger, Kiri T; Pereira, Sarah Carneiro; Mah, Sue Lynn; Haselgrove, Mark; Waddington, John L; O'Tuathaigh, Colm; Moran, Paula M. (2022). Latent inhibition, aberrant salience, and schizotypy traits in cannabis users.. Schizophrenia research. Cognition, 28, 100235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scog.2021.100235
MLA
Dawes, Christopher, et al. "Latent inhibition, aberrant salience, and schizotypy traits in cannabis users.." Schizophrenia research. Cognition, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scog.2021.100235
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Latent inhibition, aberrant salience, and schizotypy traits ..." RTHC-03789. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/dawes-2022-latent-inhibition-aberrant-salience
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.