Smoked Cannabis' Psychomotor and Neurocognitive Effects in Occasional and Frequent Smokers
Nathalie A. Desrosiers, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Émeline Chauchard, David A. Gorelick, Marilyn A. Huestis
Journal of Analytical Toxicology March 4, 2015 DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkv012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled within-subjects study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 25 |
| Population | Occasional (<2x/week) and frequent (≥4x/week) cannabis smokers |
| Intervention | smoking one 6.8% THC cigarette |
| Dose | one 6.8% THC cigarette |
| Duration | 22.5 hours after starting smoking |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Psychomotor learning Neurocognitive Cognition Poison control Injury prevention Audiology Medical emergency |
| Citations | 136 |
| Key points | Occasional smokers showed greater psychomotor impairment after smoking cannabis than frequent smokers, indicating tolerance in frequent users. |
Abstract
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive constituent in cannabis, impairs psychomotor performance, cognition and driving ability; thus, driving under the influence of cannabis is a public safety concern. We documented cannabis' psychomotor, neurocognitive, subjective and physiological effects in occasional and frequent smokers to investigate potential differences between these smokers. Fourteen frequent (≥4x/week) and 11 occasional (<2x/week) cannabis smokers entered a secure research unit ∼19 h prior to smoking one 6.8% THC cigarette. Cognitive and psychomotor performance was evaluated with the critical tracking (CTT), divided attention (DAT), n-back (working memory) and Balloon Analog Risk (BART) (risk-taking) tasks at -1.75, 1.5, 3.5, 5.5 and 22.5 h after starting smoking. GLM (General Linear Model) repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to compare scores. Occasional smokers had significantly more difficulty compensating for CTT tracking error compared with frequent smokers 1.5 h after smoking. Divided attention performance declined significantly especially in occasional smokers, with session × group effects for tracking error, hits, false alarms and reaction time. Cannabis smoking did not elicit session × group effects on the n-back or BART. Controlled cannabis smoking impaired psychomotor function, more so in occasional smokers, suggesting some tolerance to psychomotor impairment in frequent users. These data have implications for cannabis-associated impairment in driving under the influence of cannabis cases.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users | 2018 | Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) | n = 410 |
| Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers | 2018 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... | 2019 | Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation | n = 40 |
| Cannabis-induced altered states of consciousness are associated with specific dynamic brain connectivity states Healthy occasional cannabis users (smoking cannabis ≤2 per week) | 2019 | Repeated-measures, within-subjects design | n = 19 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 30
- Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Psychopharmacology May 1, 2019
- Cannabis and tolerance: acute drug impairment as a function of cannabis use history Scientific Reports May 26, 2016
- Cognitive motor deficits in cannabis users Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences July 19, 2016
- The CannTeen study: verbal episodic memory, spatial working memory, and response inhibition in adolescent and adult cannabis users and age-matched controls Psychopharmacology April 29, 2022
- Does variation in trait schizotypy and frequency of cannabis use influence the acute subjective, cognitive and psychotomimetic effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol? A mega-analysis Journal of Psychopharmacology January 9, 2021
and 25 more in the library
Cites 13
- Tolerance and cross-tolerance to neurocognitive effects of THC and alcohol in heavy cannabis users Psychopharmacology October 30, 2010
- Neurophysiological and subjective profile of marijuana with varying concentrations of cannabinoids Behavioural Pharmacology September 1, 2005
- Neurophysiological functioning of occasional and heavy cannabis users during THC intoxication Psychopharmacology October 5, 2011
- Single doses of THC and cocaine decrease proficiency of impulse control in heavy cannabis users British Journal of Pharmacology October 11, 2013
- Acute psychomotor, memory and subjective effects of MDMA and THC co-administration over time in healthy volunteers Journal of Psychopharmacology September 3, 2010
and 8 more in the library