Impaired mnemonic pattern separation associated with PTSD symptoms paradoxically improves with regular cannabis use.

ABSTRACT: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with poor hippocampal function and disrupted pattern recognition. Cannabis use is highly prevalent in individuals with PTSD, yet the impact on these cognitive functions is poorly understood. Participants (n = 111) with a range of PTSD symptoms with and without regular cannabis use completed the mnemonic similarity task. We hypothesized that regular use would be associated with alterations in pattern separation ability in individuals with PTSD symptoms. High PTSD symptoms were associated with reduced pattern separation performance in minimal users. Regular users with high PTSD symptoms showed greater pattern separation, but reduced pattern separation with low PTSD symptoms. These results suggest that regular cannabis use may disrupt pattern

SUBMITTER: Ross J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12022266 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature