[Neuropsychopharmacology of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol].
J Costentin
Annales pharmaceutiques francaises August 2008 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharma.2008.07.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Argues that THC's slow elimination and effects on CB1 receptors produce long-lasting effects and dependence, that acute anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects lead to abuse and tolerance with rebound symptoms, and that THC is associated with schizophrenia and with abuse of other substances. |
Abstract
Today, the main route of introduction of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active substance of cannabis, into the human body is via the lungs, from smokes produced by combustion of a haschich-tobacco mixture. The use of a water pipe (nargileh-like) intensifies its fast supply to the body. THC reaches the brain easily where it stimulates CB1 receptors; their ubiquity underlies a wide variety of effects. THC disappears from extracellular spaces by dissolving in lipid rich membranes, and not by excretion from the body. This is followed by a slow release, leading to long lasting effects originating from brain areas containing a large proportion of spare receptors ("reserve receptors"). Far from mimicking the effects of endocannabinoids, THC caricatures and disturbs them. It induces both psychical and physical dependencies, but the perception of withdrawal is weak on account of its very slow elimination. THC disturbs cognition. Acutely, it develops anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, which causes a lot of users to abuse THC, thus leading to a tolerance (desensitization of CB1 receptors) making anxiety and depression to reappear more intensely than originally. THC has close relationships with schizophrenia. It incites to tobacco, alcohol and heroine abuses.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Causal association between cannabis and psychosis: examination of the evidence | 2004 | Review | |
| Cannabis sativa: A comprehensive ethnopharmacological review of a medicinal plant with a long history. General (historical and pharmacological review) | 2018 | Review | |
| Psychiatric effects of cannabis | 2001 | Review | |
| Beyond THC: The New Generation of Cannabinoid Designer Drugs | 2011 | Review | |
| Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent, as an antipsychotic drug | 2006 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- [Neurobiology of cannabis--recent data enlightening driving disturbances]. Annales pharmaceutiques francaises May 2006
- Two cases of "cannabis acute psychosis" following the administration of oral cannabis BMC Psychiatry December 1, 2005
- Involvement of reduced acetylcholine release in Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced impairment of spatial memory in the 8-arm radial maze. Life Sciences December 20, 2002
- Unresponsiveness to cannabinoids and reduced addictive effects of opiates in CB1 receptor knockout mice. Science January 15, 1999
- Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences March 1990