Cannabis, atropine, and temporal information processing.
R E Hicks, C T Gualtieri, J P Mayo, M Perez-Reyes
Neuropsychobiology 1984 DOI: 10.1159/000118144 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | (-)-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) atropine sulfate saline |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | THC increased the subjective time rate in both duration-production and subjective-second-counting tasks, whereas atropine had no effect, indicating that THC alters the ongoing experience of time and that reduced central acetylcholine activity is not a sufficient explanation for this effect. |
Abstract
In experiment 1, subjects judged time by duration production under no-counting instructions. The productions were made following intravenous injection of atropine sulfate or saline, and after smoking cigarettes with and without (-)-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC increased the subjective time rate (STR); i.e., the rate at which subjective time passes relative to clock time, whereas atropine had no effect on STR. Thus, reduction in central acetylcholine activity is not a sufficient explanation of THC's effect on STR. Experiment 2 replicated the THC effect on STR when subjects were counting subjective seconds. This result indicates that THC affects the experience of time as it is passing, and not solely the memory for duration experience after a time period.