Telling true from false: cannabis users show increased susceptibility to false memories
Jordi Riba, Marta Valle, Frederic Sampedro, Aina Rodríguez‐pujadas, Saul Martinez-Horta, Jaime Kulisevsky, Antoni Rodríguez‐fornells
Molecular Psychiatry March 31, 2015 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.36 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Chronic cannabis users |
| Topics | Cannabis CBD |
| Keywords | Neurocognitive Effects of cannabis Cognition False memory Episodic memory Recall Frontal lobe Cognitive psychology Abstinence |
| Citations | 41 |
| Key findings | Abstinent cannabis users show increased susceptibility to false memories and reduced activation in brain regions involved in memory processing and cognitive control. |
Abstract
Previous studies on the neurocognitive impact of cannabis use have found working and declarative memory deficits that tend to normalize with abstinence. An unexplored aspect of cognitive function in chronic cannabis users is the ability to distinguish between veridical and illusory memories, a crucial aspect of reality monitoring that relies on adequate memory function and cognitive control. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show that abstinent cannabis users have an increased susceptibility to false memories, failing to identify lure stimuli as events that never occurred. In addition to impaired performance, cannabis users display reduced activation in areas associated with memory processing within the lateral and medial temporal lobe (MTL), and in parietal and frontal brain regions involved in attention and performance monitoring. Furthermore, cannabis consumption was inversely correlated with MTL activity, suggesting that the drug is especially detrimental to the episodic aspects of memory. These findings indicate that cannabis users have an increased susceptibility to memory distortions even when abstinent and drug-free, suggesting a long-lasting compromise of memory and cognitive control mechanisms involved in reality monitoring.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population | 2009 | Case-control study | n = 454 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people | 2000 | Observational | |
| Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 1,923 |
| Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 535 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- False memory formation in cannabis users: a field study Psychopharmacology June 27, 2019
- Cannabis Use and Neuroadaptation: A Call for Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Challenge Studies Frontiers in Psychiatry April 14, 2022
- Impaired cognitive performance under psycho-social stress in cannabis-dependent males is mediated by attenuated precuneus activity bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) September 29, 2018
- A Meta-Analysis of Cannabis Research: Evidence of Lasting Neurocognitive Effects Continues to be Lacking Cannabis May 6, 2026
and 7 more in the library
Cites 6
- Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Journal of Psychopharmacology October 5, 2012
- The effect of cannabis use on memory function: an update. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation 2013
- An evidence based review of acute and long-term effects of cannabis use on executive cognitive functions. Journal of Addiction Medicine March 2011
- Medial temporal structures and memory functions in adolescents with heavy cannabis use Journal of Psychiatric Research February 5, 2011
- N-acetylaspartate (NAA) correlates inversely with cannabis use in a frontal language processing region of neocortex in MDMA (Ecstasy) polydrug users: a 3 T magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior March 2009
and 1 more in the library