Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment
Amir Englund, Paul D. Morrison, Judith Nottage, Dominic Hague, Fergus Kane, Stefania Bonaccorso, James Stone, Avi Reichenberg, Rudolf Brenneisen, David Holt, Amanda Feilding, Lucy Walker, Robin Murray, Shitij Kapur
Journal of Psychopharmacology October 5, 2012 DOI: 10.1177/0269881112460109 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Healthy participants |
| Intervention | Cannabidiol (CBD) |
| Dose | 600 mg oral CBD, 1.5 mg intravenous THC |
| Topics | Cannabis CBD |
| Keywords | Paranoia Placebo Psychosis Schizophrenia object-oriented programming Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol Cannabinoid |
| Citations | 463 |
| Key findings | Pre-treatment with 600 mg CBD reduced THC-elicited paranoia and the odds of clinically significant positive psychotic symptoms, and mitigated THC-induced memory impairment. |
Abstract
Community-based studies suggest that cannabis products that are high in Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but low in cannabidiol (CBD) are particularly hazardous for mental health. Laboratory-based studies are ideal for clarifying this issue because THC and CBD can be administered in pure form, under controlled conditions. In a between-subjects design, we tested the hypothesis that pre-treatment with CBD inhibited THC-elicited psychosis and cognitive impairment. Healthy participants were randomised to receive oral CBD 600 mg (n=22) or placebo (n=26), 210 min ahead of intravenous (IV) THC (1.5 mg). Post-THC, there were lower PANSS positive scores in the CBD group, but this did not reach statistical significance. However, clinically significant positive psychotic symptoms (defined a priori as increases ≥ 3 points) were less likely in the CBD group compared with the placebo group, odds ratio (OR)=0.22 (χ²=4.74, p<0.05). In agreement, post-THC paranoia, as rated with the State Social Paranoia Scale (SSPS), was less in the CBD group compared with the placebo group (t=2.28, p<0.05). Episodic memory, indexed by scores on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Task-revised (HVLT-R), was poorer, relative to baseline, in the placebo pre-treated group (-10.6 ± 18.9%) compared with the CBD group (-0.4% ± 9.7 %) (t=2.39, p<0.05). These findings support the idea that high-THC/low-CBD cannabis products are associated with increased risks for mental health.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for 2 syntheses in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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State of the evidence: CBD Supports
Pre-treatment with 600 mg oral CBD reduced THC-elicited paranoia and clinically significant positive psychotic symptoms and mitigated THC-induced episodic memory impairment.
Synthesized
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State of the evidence: Cannabis Supports
Pre-treatment with 600 mg CBD reduced THC-elicited paranoia and clinically significant positive psychotic symptoms (OR 0.22) and mitigated THC-induced episodic memory impairment.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on CBD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Inverted U-Shaped Dose-Response Curve of the Anxiolytic Effect of Cannabidiol during Public Speaking in Real Life Healthy subjects aged 18 to 35 years | 2017 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 60 |
| 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 90
- Traditional marijuana, high‐potency cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids: increasing risk for psychosis World Psychiatry September 22, 2016
- Gone to Pot – A Review of the Association between Cannabis and Psychosis Frontiers in Psychiatry May 22, 2014
- Medicinal cannabis for psychiatric disorders: a clinically-focused systematic review BMC Psychiatry January 16, 2020
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- Cannabis Use during Adolescent Development: Susceptibility to Psychiatric Illness Frontiers in Psychiatry 2013
and 85 more in the library
Cites 19
- High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis The British Journal of Psychiatry November 30, 2009
- Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent, as an antipsychotic drug Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research April 1, 2006
- Induction of psychosis by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol reflects modulation of prefrontal and striatal function during attentional salience processing. Archives of General Psychiatry January 2012
- Cannabis with high cannabidiol content is associated with fewer psychotic experiences. Schizophrenia Research August 2011
- Modulation of auditory and visual processing by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol: an FMRI study. Neuropsychopharmacology June 2011
and 14 more in the library