A Comparison of Acute Neurocognitive and Psychotomimetic Effects of a Synthetic Cannabinoid and Natural Cannabis at Psychotropic Dose Equivalence
Eef L. Theunissen, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Natasha L. Mason, Johannes G. Ramaekers
Frontiers in Psychiatry May 19, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.891811 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Placebo-controlled study (matched participants from two studies) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | THC JWH-018 |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Psychotomimetic Neurocognitive Pharmacology Dronabinol Hallucinogen Cannabinoid receptor Potency Psychotropic drug Cognition Nmda receptor Antagonist In vitro |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key points | At equal subjective intoxication levels, THC and JWH-018 similarly impair psychomotor, divided attention, and impulse control, but JWH-018 causes considerably more pronounced dissociative effects. |
Abstract
Due to differences in potency, efficacy, and affinity for CB1 receptors, similarities and differences in psychoactive effect profiles of natural cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) cannot reliably be derived from equipotent dose comparisons. Instead, the current study proposes to compare the intrinsic psychoactive effects of natural cannabis (THC) and an SC, JWH-018, at psychotropic dose equivalence. Participants from two placebo-controlled studies were matched for their levels of subjective high to compare neurocognitive and psychotomimetic effects of THC and JWH-018. At equal subjective intoxication levels, both drugs impaired psychomotor, divided attention, and impulse control, with no significant difference between the two drugs. Both drugs also caused significant psychotomimetic effects, but dissociative effects were considerably more pronounced for JWH-018 than THC. We conclude that psychotropic dose equivalence provides a uniform approach for comparing the neurocognitive and psychotomimetic profiles of CB1 agonists, which can also be applied to other drug classes.
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
Cited by 2
Cites 34
- Measurement of dissociative states with the Clinician‐Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) Journal of Traumatic Stress 1998
- High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis The British Journal of Psychiatry November 30, 2009
- Psychedelic Effects of Ketamine in Healthy Volunteers Anesthesiology 1998
- Gone to Pot – A Review of the Association between Cannabis and Psychosis Frontiers in Psychiatry May 22, 2014
- “Spiceophrenia”: a systematic overview of “Spice”‐related psychopathological issues and a case report Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental July 1, 2013
and 29 more in the library