An Ethno‐Methodological Approach to Cannabis and Music Perception, with EEG Brain Mapping in a Naturalistic Setting

Jörg Fachner

doi:10.1525/ac.2006.17.2.78

An Ethno‐Methodological Approach to Cannabis and Music Perception, with EEG Brain Mapping in a Naturalistic Setting

Jörg Fachner

Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2006 DOI: 10.1525/ac.2006.17.2.78 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Ethnographic pre/post study with single case studies Qualitative Peer reviewed
Sample size	4
Population	Habituated cannabis consumers in a naturalistic setting
Intervention	Cannabis
Topics	Cannabis
Key findings	Cannabis-induced changes in EEG activity (increased parietal alpha, temporal theta, and occipital alpha) correlate with altered music perception through hyperfocusing on acoustic space.

Abstract

Cannabis is known to change auditory perception and music appreciation as many musicians and music listeners report in narratives, interviews and biographies. An ethnographic pre/post study was conducted in a habituated naturalistic setting, combining qualitative and quantitative methods with four single case studies. Physiological results were gained with a mobile bedside EEG imaging machine in an authentic setting of the consumer's life‐world. Results represent explorative data of participants' spontaneous EEG‐activity, referable to results of psychological and medical studies.Increasing Alpha‐signal strength in parietal association cortex and significant Theta band changes in temporal and on Alpha in occipital areas seem to represent an intraindividual constant EEG correlate of temporarily intensified attention ("high"), resulting in an altered music perception by hyperfocusing on acoustic space and broadened insight into the "space between the notes." THC has a measurable influence on cerebral music processing and seems to enhance acoustic perception temporarily.

Comparable studies

Other non-randomized and open-label trials on cannabis, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
Feasibility of a cannabidiol-dominant cannabis-based medicinal product for the treatment of long COVID symptoms: A single-arm open-label feasibility trial. Individuals diagnosed with long COVID	2024	Single-arm open-label feasibility trial	n = 12
A proposal to evaluate mechanistic efficacy of hallucinogens in addiction treatment Prescription opioid abusers	2013	Proposed clinical trial
Does acute stress induced via cold water immersion increase blood THC concentrations in regular cannabis users? Regular cannabis users (more than 3 days per week; 9 female, average use 5.0 ± 1.5 days...	2025	Single-arm pre-/post-intervention trial	n = 15
An Individual's Lived Experiences of Taking Cannabis-Based Medicinal Products (CBMPs) to Treat Anxiety. The author, a patient with chronic treatment-refractive anxiety and other mental health...	2023	Autoethnography (n-of-1 case report within a clinical trial)	n = 1
Daily Cannabidiol Administration for 10 Weeks Modulates Hippocampal and Amygdalar Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Cannabis Users: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Open-Label Clinical Trial People who use cannabis	2023	Open-label pragmatic trial	n = 18

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