Kognitive Defizite abstinenter Cannabis-Konsumenten

Consumption of Cannabis is discussed as an ethological factor in the development of schizophrenic spectrum disorders. There is evidence that cannabis causes cognitive deficits, which can typically be found in schizophrenic patients or vulnerable individuals. An often disturbed cognitive process in schizophrenia, is the early-information-processing. One of it s components is the gating of sensory input. The gating-function can be measured with the P50-Gating paradigm, evoked by acoustic stimuli using EEG. The P50-Gating is known to be disturbed in many patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders. Little is known, if the P50-Gating is disturbed in Cannabis-users, even after a while of abstinence from the drug. Another field of interest in this work are the clinical correlates of the P50 and it s influence on higher cognitive functions and behavior. In summary this thesis wants to help explain the epidemiological evidence between Cannabis-consumption and schizophrenic spectrum disorders. §Results: We could not find a persistent deficit of the P50-Gating in abstinent Cannabis-users compared to healthy controls. Nevertheless could we find different correlations between variables of Cannabis consumption patterns and the P50- Gating. Consumption of Nicotine could be found as an important confounder in the study design. As predicted, was P50-Gating connected with all-daily cognitive failures, what is strengthening the clinical validity of this electrophysiological paradigm.§§!Arbeit auf Deutsch! Thesis is written in german!