Effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on evaluation of emotional images
Michael E. Ballard, Gillinder Bedi, Harriet de Wit
Journal of Psychopharmacology May 13, 2012 DOI: 10.1177/0269881112446530 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol |
| Dose | 7.5 and 15 mg; p.o. |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Sadness Anger Happiness Affect linguistics Mood Emotion perception Facial expression Disgust Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol Audiology Clinical psychology Communication Cannabinoid |
| Citations | 52 |
| Key findings | THC significantly impairs recognition of facial fear and anger, but only marginally impairs recognition of sadness and happiness, and does not consistently affect ratings of emotional scenes. |
Abstract
There is growing evidence that drugs of abuse alter processing of emotional information in ways that could be attractive to users. Our recent report that Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) diminishes amygdalar activation in response to threat-related faces suggests that THC may modify evaluation of emotionally-salient, particularly negative or threatening, stimuli. In this study, we examined the effects of acute THC on evaluation of emotional images. Healthy volunteers received two doses of THC (7.5 and 15 mg; p.o.) and placebo across separate sessions before performing tasks assessing facial emotion recognition and emotional responses to pictures of emotional scenes. THC significantly impaired recognition of facial fear and anger, but it only marginally impaired recognition of sadness and happiness. The drug did not consistently affect ratings of emotional scenes. THC's effects on emotional evaluation were not clearly related to its mood-altering effects. These results support our previous work, and show that THC reduces perception of facial threat. Nevertheless, THC does not appear to positively bias evaluation of emotional stimuli in general.
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
Cited by 20
- Measuring the subjective: revisiting the psychometric properties of three rating scales that assess the acute effects of hallucinogens. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental September 1, 2016
- Psychedelic symptoms of cannabis and cocaine use as a function of trait impulsivity Journal of Psychopharmacology January 8, 2015
- Social Psychopharmacology: Novel Approaches to Treat Deficits in Social Motivation in Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Bulletin June 26, 2023
- The Hallucinogen Rating Scale: Updated Factor Structure in a Large, Multistudy Sample. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science March 1, 2025
- Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empathy test: comparison between cannabis use effects and controls in social cognition International Clinical Psychopharmacology June 27, 2024
and 15 more in the library
Cites 14
- Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Archives of General Psychiatry 2009
- Dose-Response Study of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry February 1, 1994
- Neurophysiological and subjective profile of marijuana with varying concentrations of cannabinoids Behavioural Pharmacology September 1, 2005
- Effects of Endocannabinoid System Modulation on Cognitive and Emotional Behavior Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience July 22, 2011
- Subjective and physiological effects after controlled Sativex and oral THC administration. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics March 2011
and 9 more in the library