Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
June 3, 2026
Isabella Goodwin, Dominic Oliver, Edward Chesney et al.
Global shifts towards the liberalisation of cannabis policies have increased the potency of cannabis products, alongside their accessibility, diversity, and the number of inexperienced cannabis consumers. There is a lack of systematic evidence on the subjective effects of cannabis' main psychoactive compound, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). We systematically reviewed and meta-analysed data from...
Psychopharmacology
May 7, 2026
Emillie Beyer, M. Skumlien, Govinda Poudel et al.
Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) affects ~ 50 million individuals worldwide and is associated with alterations in brain reward pathways. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) show promise in reducing substance use and aberrant brain function in substance use disorders (SUD), but the effects on CUD or brain reward function have not been investigated. To examine whether a 2-week MBI vs. active...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
September 12, 2025
Matthijs Blankers, Ruben Van Beek, Desirée Spronk et al.
1 citation
There is a lack of understanding of the nature of the post-acute affective response in the days after ecstasy/3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use and whether this is associated with ecstasy/MDMA use or circumstantial factors. In the three days following ecstasy/MDMA use, we evaluated whether a drop in mental well-being is observed and can be related to ecstasy use. Data for this study...
Psychological Medicine
August 8, 2025
Giulia Trotta, Edoardo Spinazzola, Hannah Degen et al.
4 citations
Childhood trauma is a well-established risk factor for psychosis, paranoia, and substance use, with cannabis being a modifiable environmental factor that exacerbates these vulnerabilities. This study examines the interplay between childhood trauma, cannabis use, and paranoia using standard tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) units as a comprehensive measure of cannabis exposure. Data were derived from...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
June 5, 2025
Ekaterina Shatalina, Natalie Ertl, Kat Petrilli et al.
1 citation
preprint
Abstract Background Cannabis is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world and is increasingly investigated as a treatment for neuropsychiatric conditions. Cannabis contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is thought to underlie its main psychoactive effects, and cannabidiol (CBD), which has been proposed to modulate the effects of THC on the brain. Both have...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
February 1, 2025
Martine Skumlien, Tom P. Freeman, Daniel L. Hall et al.
Abstract Background Cannabis, and its main psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), may alter the brain’ s reward system both acutely and over time. The endocannabinoid and reward systems mature during adolescence and adolescents may therefore respond differently to acute cannabis exposure compared with adults. Despite this, no previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)...
Neuropsychopharmacology
May 28, 2024
Natalie Ertl, Tom P. Freeman, Claire Mokrysz et al.
19 citations
Adolescence is a time of rapid neurodevelopment and the endocannabinoid system is particularly prone to change during this time. Cannabis is a commonly used drug with a particularly high prevalence of use among adolescents. The two predominant phytocannabinoids are Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which affect the endocannabinoid system. It is unknown whether this...
Psychopharmacology
February 28, 2024
Daniel L. Hall, Will Lawn, Shelan Ofori et al.
5 citations
RATIONALE: Attentional bias to drug-related stimuli is hypothesised to contribute towards addiction. However, the acute effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on attentional bias to cannabis cues, the differential response in adults and adolescents, and the moderating effect of cannabidiol (CBD) are unknown. OBJECTIVES: Our study investigated (1) the acute effects of vaporised cannabis on...
European Addiction Research
2024
Ruben Johannes Jacob Van Beek, Matthijs Blankers, Marloes Kleinjan et al.
3 citations
Polydrug use patterns among young adults using ecstasy vary, as well as their willingness to change them. Polydrug use patterns are likely associated with different adverse health outcomes. It is unknown whether polydrug use patterns of young adults who use ecstasy are similar in different countries. This study aims to identify and compare polydrug use patterns and willingness to change them of...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
August 11, 2023
Teuntje A. D. Pelgrim, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Matthew B. Wall et al.
3 citations
BACKGROUND: Cannabis produces various acute psychotropic effects, with marked individual differences. Cannabis use is a risk factor for developing psychotic disorders. The main component responsible for these effects is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Here we investigated the neural basis of acute THC effects and its modulation by catechol-methyl-transferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype. METHODS:...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
July 29, 2023
Natalie Ertl, Will Lawn, Claire Mokrysz et al.
17 citations
BACKGROUND/AIM: Cannabis use is highly prevalent in adolescents; however, little is known about its effects on adolescent brain function. METHOD: = 70, 35 adolescents/35 adults). Pre-registered analyses examined the connectivity of seven major cortical and sub-cortical brain networks (default mode network, executive control network (ECN), salience network, hippocampal network and three striatal...
Psychological Medicine
May 4, 2023
Giulia Trotta, Victoria Rodriguez, Diego Quattrone et al.
Abstract Background Childhood adversity and cannabis use are considered independent risk factors for psychosis, but whether different patterns of cannabis use may be acting as mediator between adversity and psychotic disorders has not yet been explored. The aim of this study is to examine whether cannabis use mediates the relationship between childhood adversity and psychosis. Methods Data were...
Addiction
February 8, 2023
Will Lawn, Katie Trinci, Claire Mokrysz et al.
36 citations
Abstract Background and Aims Long‐term harms of cannabis may be exacerbated in adolescence, but little is known about the acute effects of cannabis in adolescents. We aimed to (i) compare the acute effects of cannabis in adolescent and adult cannabis users and (ii) determine if cannabidiol (CBD) acutely modulates the effects of delta‐9‐tetrahydocannabinol (THC). Design Randomised, double‐blind,...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
January 19, 2023
Koen Ponnet, Bert Hauspie, Nicky Dirkx et al.
21 citations
EDM event attendees are a high-risk population for substance use and associated adverse effects. The aim of this study was to examine substance use at EDM events, focusing on associations between attendance motives and substance use. Sociodemographic characteristics, event specifics, past-year use, and attendance motives were assessed through an online survey. Participants were 1345 Belgian EDM...
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
December 9, 2022
Lucy Chester, Amir Englund, Edward Chesney et al.
20 citations
Background: The effects of cannabis are thought to be mediated by interactions between its constituents and the endocannabinoid system. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) binds to central cannabinoid receptors, while cannabidiol (CBD) may influence endocannabinoid function without directly acting on cannabinoid receptors. We examined the effects of THC coadministered with different doses of CBD...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 20, 2022
Matthew B. Wall, Tom P. Freeman, Chandni Hindocha et al.
21 citations
Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two major constituents of cannabis with contrasting mechanisms of action. THC is the major psychoactive, addiction-promoting, and psychotomimetic compound, while CBD may have opposite effects. The brain effects of these drugs alone and in combination are poorly understood. In particular, the striatum is implicated in the...
Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2022
Sam Craft, Jason Ferris, Monica J Barratt et al.
19 citations
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) may be used as an alternative to natural cannabis; however, they may carry a greater risk of problematic use and withdrawal. This study aimed to characterise the withdrawal symptom profile of SCRAs and compare their profile of effect with high-potency herbal cannabis. Global Drug Survey data (2015 and 2016) were used to access a clinically...
Translational Psychiatry
August 10, 2021
Diego Quattrone, Ulrich Reininghaus, A. Richards et al.
Diagnostic categories do not completely reflect the heterogeneous expression of psychosis. Using data from the EU-GEI study, we evaluated the impact of schizophrenia polygenic risk score (SZ-PRS) and patterns of cannabis use on the transdiagnostic expression of psychosis. We analysed first-episode psychosis patients (FEP) and controls, generating transdiagnostic dimensions of psychotic symptoms...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 9, 2021
Abigail M. Freeman, Claire Mokrysz, Chandni Hindocha et al.
6 citations
BACKGROUND: While the acute effects of cannabis are relatively benign for most users, some individuals experience significant adverse effects. This study aimed to identify whether variation in schizotypal personality traits and frequency of cannabis use influence the acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). METHODS: Individual participant data from four double-blind, randomised,...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
November 21, 2020
Matthew B. Wall, Tom P. Freeman, Chandni Hindocha et al.
4 citations
preprint
Abstract Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two major constituents of cannabis with contrasting mechanisms of action. THC is the major psychoactive, addiction-promoting, and psychotomimetic compound, while CBD may have somewhat opposite effects. The brain effects of these drugs alone and in combination are poorly understood. In particular the striatum is implicated in the...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 5, 2020
Will Lawn, J. P. Hill, Chandni Hindocha et al.
23 citations
BACKGROUND: Cannabidiol has potential therapeutic benefits for people with psychiatric disorders characterised by reward function impairment. There is existing evidence that cannabidiol may influence some aspects of reward processing. However, it is unknown whether cannabidiol acutely affects brain function underpinning reward anticipation and feedback. HYPOTHESES: We predicted that cannabidiol...
Translational Psychiatry
May 12, 2020
Chandni Hindocha, Diego Quattrone, Tom P. Freeman et al.
Epidemiological and biological evidence support the association between heavy cannabis use and psychosis. However, it is unclear which cannabis users are susceptible to its psychotogenic effect. Therefore, understanding genetic factors contributing to this relationship might prove an important strategy to identify the mechanisms underlying cannabis-associated psychotic experiences. We aimed to...
Psychological Medicine
April 28, 2020
Claire Mokrysz, Natacha D. C. Shaban, Tom P. Freeman et al.
24 citations
BACKGROUND: Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence...
Psychological Medicine
March 18, 2020
Diego Quattrone, Laura Ferraro, Giada Tripoli et al.
89 citations
Abstract Background Daily use of high-potency cannabis has been reported to carry a high risk for developing a psychotic disorder. However, the evidence is mixed on whether any pattern of cannabis use is associated with a particular symptomatology in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. Method We analysed data from 901 FEP patients and 1235 controls recruited across six countries, as part of...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
April 23, 2019
Matthew B. Wall, Rebecca Pope, Tom P. Freeman et al.
89 citations
BACKGROUND: -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the main psychoactive component; CBD may buffer the user against the harmful effects of THC. AIMS: We examined the effects of two strains of cannabis and placebo on the human brain's resting-state networks using fMRI. METHODS: Seventeen healthy volunteers (experienced with cannabis, but not regular users) underwent three drug...