Neuropsychopharmacology
October 29, 2026
Stephanie Lake, Elisa Pabon, Samantha L Baglot et al.
Cannabis use is rising among women. Studies suggest females are more sensitive to the intoxicating and misuse-related effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While preclinical studies point to sex-specific development of tolerance, this has not been translated to humans. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 44 participants (22 F) smoked three cannabis...
Psychopharmacology
February 10, 2025
Will Lawn, Xuejun Hao, Anna B. Konova et al.
2 citations
RATIONALE: Despite the critical role of choice processes in substance use disorders, the neurobehavioral mechanisms guiding human decisions about drugs remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize the neural encoding of subjective value (SV) for cannabis versus non-drug rewards (snacks) in people who use cannabis on a near-daily/daily frequency (PWUCF) and assessed the impact...
Psychological Medicine
November 2023
Matthew N Hill, Margaret Haney, Cecilia J. Hillard et al.
Cannabis is well established to impact affective states, emotion and perceptual processing, primarily through its interactions with the endocannabinoid system. While cannabis use is quite prevalent in many individuals afflicted with psychiatric illnesses, there is considerable controversy as to whether cannabis may worsen these conditions or provide some form of therapeutic benefit. The...
Nature Medicine
June 2023
Margaret Haney, Monique Vallée, Sandy Fabre et al.
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is widespread, and there is no pharmacotherapy to facilitate its treatment. AEF0117, the first of a new pharmacological class, is a signaling-specific inhibitor of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1-SSi). AEF0117 selectively inhibits a subset of intracellular effects resulting from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) binding without modifying behavior per se. In mice and...
March 15, 2023
Will Lawn, Xuejun Hao, Anna B. Konova et al.
preprint
Background: Despite the critical role of choice processes in substance use disorders, the neurobehavioral mechanisms guiding human decisions about drugs remain poorly understood. We adapted a neuroeconomic framework to characterize the neural encoding of subjective value (SV) for cannabis versus non-drug rewards (snacks) in near-daily cannabis users. We also assessed the impact of cannabis and...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
February 1, 2023
Conor H. Murray, Margaret Haney, Richard W Foltin et al.
Despite the high prevalence of polysubstance use, outcomes and potential risks associated with common drug combinations are not well characterized. Many individuals who use cocaine also use cannabis, yet little is known about how interactions between the two drugs might contribute to continued co-use. The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to determine the physiological and...
Depression and Anxiety
August 1, 2020
Reilly R Kayser, Margaret Haney, Marissa Raskin et al.
Preclinical data implicate the endocannabinoid system in the pathology underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while survey data have linked OCD symptoms to increased cannabis use. Cannabis products are increasingly marketed as treatments for anxiety and other OCD-related symptoms. Yet, few studies have tested the acute effects of cannabis on psychiatric symptoms in humans. We recruited...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
September 1, 2017
Diana R Keith, Erik W. Gunderson, Margaret Haney et al.
Individuals who work nonstandard schedules, such as rotating or night shifts, are more susceptible to workplace injuries, performance decrements, and reduced productivity. This population is also almost twice as likely to use illicit drugs as individuals working a standard day shift. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of smoked marijuana on performance, mood, and sleep during...
Neuropsychopharmacology
July 2016
Margaret Haney, Robert J Malcolm, Shanna Babalonis et al.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a constituent of cannabis with few psychoactive effects, has been reported in some studies to attenuate certain aspects of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) intoxication. However, most studies have tested only one dose of CBD in combination with one dose of oral THC, making it difficult to assess the nature of this interaction. Further, the effect of oral CBD on smoked cannabis...
Neuropsychopharmacology
May 12, 2015
Gillinder Bedi, Martin A Lindquist, Margaret Haney
Drug dependence may be at its core a pathology of choice, defined by continued decisions to use drugs irrespective of negative consequences. Despite evidence of dysregulated decision making in addiction, little is known about the neural processes underlying the most clinically relevant decisions drug users make: decisions to use drugs. Here, we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging...
Psychopharmacology
October 2012
Jane Metrik, Christopher W Kahler, Brady Reynolds et al.
Marijuana is believed to increase impulsivity and risk taking, but the processes whereby it affects such behaviors are not understood. Indeed, either the pharmacologic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or the expectancy of receiving it may lead to deficits in cognitive processing and increases in risk taking. We examined the relative effects of expecting to receive active marijuana...
Biological Psychiatry
April 15, 2012
Nina B L Urban, Mark Slifstein, Judy L. Thompson et al.
Low striatal dopamine 2/3 receptor (D(2/3)) availability and low ventrostriatal dopamine (DA) release have been observed in alcoholism and cocaine and heroin dependence. Less is known about the dopaminergic system in cannabis dependence. We assessed D(2/3) availability and DA release in abstinent cannabis users compared with control subjects and explored relationships to cannabis use history...
Psychopharmacology
June 30, 2011
M. Kirkpatrick, Erik W. Gunderson, Audrey Y. Perez et al.
119 citations
Despite their chemical similarities, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produce differing neurochemical and behavioral responses in animals. In humans, individual studies of methamphetamine and MDMA indicate that the drugs engender overlapping and divergent effects; there are only limited data comparing the two drugs in the same individuals. This study examined the...
Psychopharmacology
August 2010
Ziva D. Cooper, Margaret Haney
Studies in laboratory animals strongly suggest reciprocal modulation of the opioidergic and endocannabinoid systems, a relationship that has not been demonstrated in humans. This study sought to clarify this interaction by assessing how a range of naltrexone doses altered the subjective, cognitive, and cardiovascular effects of marijuana. Daily marijuana smokers (n = 29) participated in this...
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
August 1, 2009
Jane Metrik, Damaris J Rohsenow, Peter M. Monti et al.
Although alcohol and nicotine administration studies have demonstrated that manipulating subjects' expectancies regarding drug content affects drug response, research with marijuana has not adequately studied drug expectancy effects. The present pilot study was the first to evaluate the credibility and effect of expectancy manipulation on subjective measures and smoking patterns using a...
Addiction Biology
June 2008
Ziva D. Cooper, Margaret Haney
Awareness of cannabis dependence as a clinically relevant issue has grown in recent years. Clinical and laboratory studies demonstrate that chronic marijuana smokers can experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of marijuana smoking and have difficulty abstaining from marijuana use. This paper will review data implicating the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in regulating the behavioral effects of...
Neuropsychopharmacology
June 2007
Margaret Haney
In non-human animals, opioid antagonists block the reinforcing and discriminative-stimulus effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), while in human marijuana smokers, naltrexone (50 mg) enhances the reinforcing and subjective effects of THC. The objective of this study was to test a lower, more opioid-selective dose of naltrexone (12 mg) in combination with THC. The influence of...
Psychopharmacology
February 2003
Margaret Haney, Adam Bisaga, Richard W Foltin
Studies in non-human animals suggest that opioid antagonists block the reinforcing effects of cannabinoids. The present studies in humans investigated how naltrexone modulates (1) the subjective and physiological effects of oral THC in comparison to methadone, (2) the reinforcing effects of oral THC, and (3) plasma levels of oral THC. In study 1, marijuana smokers (n=9) received naltrexone (0,...
Psychopharmacology
January 2003
Margaret Haney, Carl L. Hart, Amie S Ward et al.
Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include increased irritability, depression and anxiety, and decreased sleep quality. Nefazodone, which is an antidepressant with sedative properties, may attenuate symptoms of marijuana withdrawal. The present within-subject, placebo-controlled study investigated the effects of nefazodone during marijuana withdrawal. Marijuana smokers [ n=7; averaging 6.0...
The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
November 2002
Margaret Haney
This article presents data from two avenues of marijuana research. First, the author shows that daily marijuana smoking in healthy individuals produces dependence, as demonstrated by withdrawal symptoms such as increased irritability and depression and decreased food intake. In addition, two antidepressant medications were evaluated to assess their potential effectiveness in the treatment of...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
August 1, 2002
Carl L. Hart, Margaret Haney, Amie S Ward et al.
Studies have shown that the Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) concentration in marijuana cigarettes is an important factor for the maintenance of marijuana self-administration. Yet, the impact of oral Delta(9)-THC treatment on marijuana self-administration is unknown. Because other agonist therapies have been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of substance use disorders,...
Neuropsychopharmacology
November 2001
Carl L. Hart, W Van Gorp, Margaret Haney et al.
Although the ability to perform complex cognitive operations is assumed to be impaired following acute marijuana smoking, complex cognitive performance after acute marijuana use has not been adequately assessed under experimental conditions. In the present study, we used a within-participant double-blind design to evaluate the effects acute marijuana smoking on complex cognitive performance in...
Psychopharmacology
February 1, 1999
Margaret Haney, Amie S Ward, S D Comer et al.
Symptoms of dependence and withdrawal after the frequent administration of high doses (210 mg/day) of oral delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been reported, yet little is known about dependence on lower oral THC doses, more relevant to levels attained by smoking marijuana. In a 20-day residential study, male (n = 6) and female (n = 6) marijuana smokers worked on five psychomotor tasks...
Psychopharmacology
July 1994
K A Miczek, Margaret Haney
The objective of the present experiments was to characterize psychomotor stimulant effects of d-amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and phencyclidine (PCP) on conditioned performance and on aggressive behavior in mice. In a novel protocol with alternating periods of schedule-controlled responding and aggressive behavior toward an intruder it was possible to assess a range of...