Adolescence is a key developmental period associated with an increased risk of experiencing cannabis-related problems. Identifying modifiable risk factors prior to the onset of cannabis use could help inform preventative interventions.

Analysis nested within a UK prospective birth cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Participants (n = 6,049) provided data on cannabis use and symptoms of cannabis problems using the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test at two or more time points between the ages of 15–24 years. Risk factors included internalizing and externalizing disorders assessed at age 10 years, and cognitive function assessed at age 8 years via short-term memory, emotion recognition, divided attention, and listening comprehension.

Participants were mostly female (59.1%) and white (95.73%). Five patterns of adolescent cannabis use problems were identified using longitudinal latent class analysis: stable-no problems (n = 5,157, 85%), early-onset high (n = 104, 2%), late-onset high (n = 153, 3%), early onset low (n = 348, 6%), and late-onset low (n = 287, 5%). In adjusted models, externalizing disorders were associated with early-onset high [RR, 95% CI: 2.82 (1.72, 4.63)], late-onset high [RR, 95% CI: 1.62 (1.02, 2.57)], and early-onset low [RR, 95% CI: 1.82 (1.30, 2.55)] compared to the stable-no problems class. Internalizing disorders were associated with late-onset low only [RR, 95% CI: .50 (.26, .96)], and short-term memory with late-onset high only [RR, 95% CI: 1.09 (1.01, 1.18) compared to the stable-no problems class.

Childhood externalizing disorders were consistently associated with increased risk of problematic patterns of cannabis use over adolescence, particularly early-onset and high levels of problems.

Observational studies consistently report associations between tobacco use, cannabis use and mental illness. However, the extent to which this association reflects an increased risk of new-onset mental illness is unclear and may be biased by unmeasured confounding.

A systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42021243903). Electronic databases were searched until November 2022. Longitudinal studies in general population samples assessing tobacco and/or cannabis use and reporting the association (e.g. risk ratio [RR]) with incident anxiety, mood, or psychotic disorders were included. Estimates were combined using random-effects meta-analyses. Bias was explored using a modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale, confounder matrix, E-values, and Doi plots.

Seventy-five studies were included. Tobacco use was associated with mood disorders (K = 43; RR: 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–1.47), but not anxiety disorders (K = 7; RR: 1.21, 95% CI 0.87–1.68) and evidence for psychotic disorders was influenced by treatment of outliers (K = 4, RR: 3.45, 95% CI 2.63–4.53; K = 5, RR: 2.06, 95% CI 0.98–4.29). Cannabis use was associated with psychotic disorders (K = 4; RR: 3.19, 95% CI 2.07–4.90), but not mood (K = 7; RR: 1.31, 95% CI 0.92–1.86) or anxiety disorders (K = 7; RR: 1.10, 95% CI 0.99–1.22). Confounder matrices and E-values suggested potential overestimation of effects. Only 27% of studies were rated as high quality.

Both substances were associated with psychotic disorders and tobacco use was associated with mood disorders. There was no clear evidence of an association between cannabis use and mood or anxiety disorders. Limited high-quality studies underscore the need for future research using robust causal inference approaches (e.g. evidence triangulation).

This paper used data from the Apathy in Dementia Methylphenidate Trial 2 (NCT02346201) to conduct a planned cost consequence analysis to investigate whether treatment of apathy with methylphenidate is economically attractive.

A total of 167 patients with clinically significant apathy randomized to either methylphenidate or placebo were included. The Resource Utilization in Dementia Lite instrument assessed resource utilization for the past 30 days and the EuroQol five dimension five level questionnaire assessed health utility at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Resources were converted to costs using standard sources and reported in 2021 USD. A repeated measures analysis of variance compared change in costs and utility over time between the treatment and placebo groups. A binary logistic regression was used to assess cost predictors.

Costs were not significantly different between groups whether the cost of methylphenidate was excluded (F(2,330) = 0.626, ηp2 = 0.004, p = 0.535) or included (F(2,330) = 0.629, ηp2 = 0.004, p = 0.534). Utility improved with methylphenidate treatment as there was a group by time interaction (F(2,330) = 7.525, ηp2 = 0.044, p < 0.001).

Results from this study indicated that there was no evidence for a difference in resource utilization costs between methylphenidate and placebo treatment. However, utility improved significantly over the 6-month follow-up period. These results can aid in decision-making to improve quality of life in patients with Alzheimer’s disease while considering the burden on the healthcare system.

Increasing numbers of adolescents seek help for gender-identity questions. Consequently, requests for medical treatments, such as puberty suppression, are growing. However, studies investigating the neurobiological substrate of gender incongruence (when birth-assigned sex and gender identity do not align) are scarce, and knowledge about the effects of puberty suppression on the developing brain of transgender youth is limited.

Here we cross-sectionally investigated sex and gender differences in regional fractional anisotropy (FA) as measured by diffusion MR imaging, and the impact of puberty on alterations in the white-matter organization of 35 treatment-naive prepubertal children and 41 adolescents with gender incongruence, receiving puberty suppression. The transgender groups were compared with 79 age-matched, treatment-naive cisgender (when sex and gender align) peers.

We found that transgender adolescents had lower FA in the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), forceps major and corpus callosum than cisgender peers. In addition, average FA values of the right IFOF correlated negatively with adolescents' cumulative dosage of puberty suppressants received. Of note, prepubertal children also showed significant FA group differences in, again, the right IFOF and left cortico-spinal tract, but with the reverse pattern (transgender > cisgender) than was seen in adolescents.

Importantly, our results of lower FA (indexing less longitudinal organization, fiber coherence, and myelination) in the IFOF of gender-incongruent adolescents replicate prior findings in transgender adults, suggesting a salient neural correlate of gender incongruence. Findings highlight the complexity with which (pubertal) sex hormones impact white-matter development and add important insight into the neurobiological substrate associated with gender incongruence.

It has not yet been determined if the commonly reported cannabis–psychosis association is limited to individuals with pre-existing genetic risk for psychotic disorders.

We examined whether the relationship between polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-Sz) and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), as measured by the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-42 (CAPE-42) questionnaire, is mediated or moderated by lifetime cannabis use at 16 years of age in 1740 of the individuals of the European IMAGEN cohort. Secondary analysis examined the relationships between lifetime cannabis use, PRS-Sz and the various sub-scales of the CAPE-42. Sensitivity analyses including covariates, including a PRS for cannabis use, were conducted and results were replicated using data from 1223 individuals in the Dutch Utrecht cannabis cohort.

PRS-Sz significantly predicted cannabis use (p = 0.027) and PLE (p = 0.004) in the IMAGEN cohort. In the full model, considering PRS-Sz and covariates, cannabis use was also significantly associated with PLE in IMAGEN (p = 0.007). Results remained consistent in the Utrecht cohort and through sensitivity analyses. Nevertheless, there was no evidence of a mediation or moderation effects.

These results suggest that cannabis use remains a risk factor for PLEs, over and above genetic vulnerability for schizophrenia. This research does not support the notion that the cannabis–psychosis link is limited to individuals who are genetically predisposed to psychosis and suggests a need for research focusing on cannabis-related processes in psychosis that cannot be explained by genetic vulnerability.

In Early Onset Schizophrenia (EOS; onset before the 18th birthday) late brain maturational changes may interact with disease mechanisms leading to a wave of back to front structural changes during adolescence. To further explore this effect we examined the relationship between age of onset and duration of illness on brain morphology in adolescents with EOS.

Structural brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 40 adolescents with EOS. We used Voxel Based Morphometry and multiple regressions analyses, implemented in SPM, to examine the relationship between gray matter volume with age of onset and illness duration.

Age of onset showed a positive correlation with regional gray matter volume in the right superior parietal lobule (Brodmann Area 7). Duration of illness was inversely related to regional gray matter volume in the left inferior frontal gyrus (BA 11/47).

Parietal gray matter loss may contribute to the onset of schizophrenia while orbitofrontal gray matter loss is associated with illness duration.

To examine the association between parenting styles and overall child dietary quality within households that are low-income and food-insecure.

Child dietary intake was measured via a 24 h dietary recall. Dietary quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005). Parenting styles were measured and scored using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire. Linear regressions were used to test main and interaction associations between HEI-2005 scores and parenting styles.

Non-probability sample of low-income and food-insecure households in South Carolina, USA.

Parent–child dyads (n 171). Parents were ≥18 years old and children were 9–15 years old.

We found a significant interaction between authoritative and authoritarian parenting style scores. For those with a mean authoritarian score, each unit increase in authoritative score was associated with a higher HEI-2005 score (b = 3·36, P < 0.05). For those with an authoritarian score that was 1 sd above the mean authoritarian score, each unit increase in authoritative score was associated with a higher HEI-2005 score (b = 8.42, P < 0.01). For those with an authoritarian score that was −1 sd below the mean authoritarian score, each unit increase in authoritative score was associated with a lower HEI-2005 score; however, this was not significant (b = −1·69, P > 0·05). Permissive parenting style scores were negatively associated with child dietary quality (b = −2·79, P < 0·05).

Parenting styles should be considered an important variable that is associated with overall dietary quality in children living within low-income and food-insecure households.

To examine the association of both perceived and geographic neighbourhood food access with food security status among households with children.

This was a cross-sectional study in which participants’ perceptions of neighbourhood food access were assessed by a standard survey instrument, and geographic food access was evaluated by distance to the nearest supermarket. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the associations.

The Midlands Family Study included 544 households with children in eight counties in South Carolina, USA. Food security status among participants was classified into three categories: food secure (FS), food insecure (FI) and very low food security among children (VLFS-C).

Compared with FS households, VLFS-C households had lower odds of reporting easy access to adequate food shopping. VLFS-C households also had lower odds of reporting neighbourhood access to affordable fruits and vegetables compared with FS households and reported worse selection of fruits and vegetables, quality of fruits and vegetables, and selection of low-fat products. FI households had lower odds of reporting fewer opportunities to purchase fast food. None of the geographic access measures was significantly associated with food security status.

Caregivers with children who experienced hunger perceived that they had less access to healthy affordable food in their community, even though grocery stores were present. Approaches to improve perceived access to healthy affordable food should be considered as part of the overall approach to improving food security and eliminating child hunger.