Smoked Cannabis Effects in Cannabis Users at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis: A Further Investigation of Cognition and Reward
Sean P Madden, John G Keilp, Olivia Wu, Cheryl M Corcoran, Ragy R Girgis, Nehal P. Vadhan
Cannabis February 22, 2022 DOI: 10.26828/cannabis/2022.01.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Cannabis users at clinical high-risk for psychosis and psychiatrically-healthy cannabis users |
| Dose | half of a cigarette with 5.5% Δ9-THC (active) or 0.0% Δ9-THC (placebo) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Cannabis acutely worsened response inhibition and produced more aversive intoxication in high-risk participants, with no such effects in healthy users. |
Abstract
Objective. Some adverse cannabis effects are greater in individuals on the psychosis spectrum compared to healthy individuals. We have previously reported that smoked cannabis acutely worsened psychotic-like states and reduced cognitive performance selectively in cannabis users at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. The objective of the present study was to further investigate the acute effects of cannabis on cognition and reward processing in CHR cannabis users. Method. Six CHR cannabis users and six psychiatrically-healthy cannabis users comparable in intellectual, demographic, and cannabis use characteristics (including nontreatment-seeking status), participated in the study. Objective and subjective measures of cognition and cannabis reward, were completed before and after smoking half of an active (5.5% Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol [Δ9-THC]) or half of a placebo (0.0% Δ9-THC) cannabis cigarette, under randomized/double-blind conditions. Repeated measures ANOVA tested main effects of drug condition (active vs. placebo) and/or the drug condition × time (baseline vs. post-administration) interactions; groups were analyzed separately due to the small sample size. Results. CHR participants exhibited evidence of decreased objective response inhibition and aversive intoxication following active cannabis, relative to placebo. Psychomotor speed and cannabis-related attentional bias were also affected by cannabis intoxication. No such effects were observed in psychiatrically-healthy cannabis users. Conclusion. These findings provide further preliminary evidence of a deleterious cognitive and reward-related response to cannabis in individuals with preexisting risk for psychosis.
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
Cites 9
- Acute and chronic effects of cannabinoids on effort-related decision-making and reward learning: an evaluation of the cannabis ‘amotivational’ hypotheses Psychopharmacology September 2, 2016
- Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Psychological Medicine September 4, 2018
- Understanding marijuana's effects on functional connectivity of the default mode network in patients with schizophrenia and co-occurring cannabis use disorder: A pilot investigation. Schizophrenia Research April 1, 2018
- The Effects of Cannabinoids on Executive Functions: Evidence from Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids—A Systematic Review Brain Sciences February 27, 2018
- Oral Cannabidiol does not Alter the Subjective, Reinforcing or Cardiovascular Effects of Smoked Cannabis. Neuropsychopharmacology July 2016
and 4 more in the library