The legalization of cannabis in Canada and other jurisdictions makes it urgent to better understand the longterm effects exerted by this drug on individuals with different vulnerability profiles. Past research suggests an association between cannabis and a number of health-related concerns such as cognitive deficits, structural changes in the brain and a heightened risk of suffering from anxiety, depression and psychosis.

ProVenture will shine a light on the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between cannabis and its purported adverse effects. Our volunteers are recruited from the CoVenture cohort, classified into three levels of mental health vulnerability and assessed at three time points, eighteen (18) months apart. At every time point, they undergo a brain scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI), a battery of cognitive tests, a brief interview as well as a series of psychometric and drug-related questionnaires. Participants are also asked to provide a saliva sample and a drop of blood in order to sequence their DNA and measure a number of biomarkers.                            

• Dr. Patricia Conrod, Professor of Psychiatry, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal
• Dr. Stéphane Potvin, Professor of Psychiatry, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Université de Montréal
• Dr. Marco Leyton, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
• Dr. Emmanuel Stip, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Université de Montréal
  
• Dr. Alan Evans, Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and  Biomedical Engineering, McGill University
• Dr. Lan Xiong, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University
• Julien Ouellet, Ph.D Student, Université de Montreal
• Roxane Assaf, Ph.D Student, Université de Montreal
• Dr. Josiane Bourque Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

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