Sex differences in the acute effects of oral THC: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study.
Ardavan Mohammad Aghaei, Lia Urban Spillane, Brian Pittman, L Taylor Flynn, Joao P De Aquino, Anahita Bassir Nia, Mohini Ranganathan
Psychopharmacology October 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06625-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Healthy men and women with prior cannabis exposure but no history of cannabis use disorder |
| Dose | 10 mg |
| Duration | Single test day |
| Measures | visual analog scale of "high", Clinician-Administered Dissociative Symptoms Scale, Psychotomimetic States Inventory, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), heart rate |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Cannabinoids Endocannabinoid system Gender Substance use disorders |
| Citations | 9 |
| Registration | NCT02781519 |
| Key findings | Women reported heightened subjective 'high' scores after oral THC compared to men, while other acute effects did not differ by sex. |
Abstract
Recent reports have shown increased cannabis use among women, leading to growing concerns about cannabis use disorder (CUD). While there is preclinical evidence suggesting biological sex influences cannabinoid effects, human research remains scant. We investigated sex differences in the acute response to oral tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in humans. 56 healthy men and women with prior exposure to cannabis but no history of CUD participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, human laboratory study where they received a single 10 mg dose of oral THC (dronabinol). Subjective psychoactive effects were assessed by the visual analog scale of "high", psychotomimetic effects by the Clinician-Administered Dissociative Symptoms Scale and Psychotomimetic States Inventory, verbal learning and memory by Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and physiological effects by heart rate. Outcomes were regularly measured on the test day, except for the RAVLT, which was assessed once. Peak differences from baseline were analyzed using a nonparametric method for repeated measures. Oral THC (10 mg) demonstrated significant dose-related effects in psychotomimetic and physiological domains, but not in RAVLT outcomes. A notable interaction between THC dose and sex emerged concerning the subjective "high" scores, with women reporting heightened sensations (p = 0.05). No other significant effects of sex and THC dose interaction were observed. Oral THC (10 mg) yields similar acute psychotomimetic and physiological effects across sexes, but women may experience a pronounced subjective psychoactive effect. Further research is needed to identify individual vulnerabilities and facilitate tailored interventions addressing CUD. GOV REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02781519?term=Ranganathan&intr=THC&rank=3 .
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Healthy participants | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 48 |
| Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Healthy, English-native, right-handed men who had used cannabis 15 times or less in... | 2009 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial | n = 15 |
| Acute Effects of a Single, Oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) Administration in Healthy Volunteers Healthy male subjects | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 16 |
| Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Healthy, native English-speaking, right-handed men of white race/ethnicity who had used... | 2009 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 15 |
| Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Healthy volunteers with a history of light cannabis use | 2019 | Randomized, double-blind, within-subjects crossover | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cites 12
- Measurement of dissociative states with the Clinician‐Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) Journal of Traumatic Stress 1998
- Sex Differences in the Safety and Subjective Effects of Two Oral Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Containing Cannabis Products over Multiple Doses Among Healthy Adults. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research August 2024
- Sex differences in adolescent cannabis vapor self-administration mediate enduring effects on behavioral flexibility and prefrontal microglia activation in rats. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology January 22, 2023
- Sex differences in the acute effects of intravenous (IV) delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Psychopharmacology May 2022
- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impairs encoding but not retrieval of verbal information. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry October 3, 2017
and 7 more in the library