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Developing a phone-based measure of impairment after acute oral ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

Elisa Pabon, Harriet de Wit

Journal of Psychopharmacology September 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119862533 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Double-blind, within-subjects study Peer reviewed
Sample size 48
Population Healthy non-daily cannabis users
Intervention ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol
Dose 7.5, 15 mg
Duration Three four-hour experimental sessions
Topics Cannabis
Keywords Driving Dronabinol ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol
Key points ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol impaired performance on most computer tasks but not on most brief phone tasks.

Abstract

Acute consumption of cannabis or its primary psychoactive ingredient ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol has been shown to impair memory, reaction time, time perception, and attention. However, it is difficult to measure these impairments in a brief test that can be used in a non-laboratory setting. We aim to develop and validate a prototype for a mobile phone application to measure ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced cognitive impairment. We conducted two double-blind, within-subjects studies examining impairments after oral doses of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (0, 7.5, 15 mg) using both standardized computer-based tasks and our novel phone-based tasks. The tasks measured cognitive speed, reaction time, fine motor ability, and working memory and, in the second study, time perception. Study 1 (n=24) provided initial data, and Study 2 (n=24) was designed to refine the measures. In both studies, healthy non-daily cannabis users participated in three four-hour experimental sessions in which they received capsules containing ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (7.5, 15 mg) or placebo. Subjective and cardiovascular measures were obtained at regular intervals, and at the time of peak drug effect subjects completed both standardized, computer-based and brief, phone-based tasks. ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-induced impairment was detected on most of the computer tasks, but was not evident on most of the phone tasks. The phone tasks were brief, to facilitate use in a non-laboratory setting, but it is likely that this made them less sensitive to the impairing effects of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol. These findings confirm that ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol impairs performance on several tasks at two recreationally relevant doses, but raises question about the feasibility of designing a phone application as a sensitive field sobriety test for cannabis.

Comparable studies

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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

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