Dopamine release in chronic cannabis users: a [11c]raclopride positron emission tomography study.
Nina B L Urban, Mark Slifstein, Judy L. Thompson, Xiaoyan Xu, Ragy R Girgis, Sonia Raheja, Margaret Haney, Anissa Abi‐dargham
Biological Psychiatry April 15, 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.12.018 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | 16 recently abstinent, psychiatrically healthy cannabis-using adults and 16 matched control subjects |
| Interventions | d-amphetamine [11C]raclopride |
| Dose | .3 mg/kg |
| Measures | change in nondisplaceable binding potential (ΔBP(ND)), [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Cannabis dependence of mild to moderate severity was not associated with alterations in striatal dopamine D2/3 receptor availability or amphetamine-induced dopamine release compared with controls. However, among cannabis users, earlier age of onset of use correlated with lower dopamine release in the associative striatum when controlling for current age, suggesting a potentially more harmful effect of use during adolescence. |
Abstract
Low striatal dopamine 2/3 receptor (D(2/3)) availability and low ventrostriatal dopamine (DA) release have been observed in alcoholism and cocaine and heroin dependence. Less is known about the dopaminergic system in cannabis dependence. We assessed D(2/3) availability and DA release in abstinent cannabis users compared with control subjects and explored relationships to cannabis use history using [(11)C]raclopride positron emission tomography and an amphetamine challenge paradigm. Sixteen recently abstinent, psychiatrically healthy cannabis-using participants (27.3 ± 6.1 years, 1 woman, 15 men) and 16 matched control subjects (28.1 ± 6.7 years, 2 women, 14 men) completed two positron emission tomography scans, before and after injection of intravenous d-amphetamine (.3 mg/kg). Percent change in [(11)C]raclopride binding after amphetamine (change in nondisplaceable binding potential, ΔBP(ND)) in subregions of the striatum was compared between groups. Correlations with clinical parameters were examined. Cannabis users had an average consumption of 517 ± 465 estimated puffs per month, indicating mild to moderate cannabis dependence. Neither baseline BP(ND) nor ΔBP(ND) differed from control subjects in any region of interest, including ventral striatum. In cannabis-dependent subjects, earlier age of onset of use correlated with lower [ΔBP(ND)] in the associative striatum when controlling for current age. Unlike other addictions, cannabis dependence of mild to moderate severity is not associated with striatal DA alterations. However, earlier or longer duration of use is related to lower DA release in the associative striatum. These observations suggest a more harmful effect of use during adolescence; more research is needed to distinguish effects of chronicity versus onset.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked Cannabis' Psychomotor and Neurocognitive Effects in Occasional and Frequent Smokers Occasional (<2x/week) and frequent (≥4x/week) cannabis smokers | 2015 | Controlled within-subjects study | n = 25 |
| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users | 2018 | Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) | n = 410 |
| Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers | 2018 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... | 2019 | Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation | n = 40 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- 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
- Single doses of THC and cocaine decrease proficiency of impulse control in heavy cannabis users British Journal of Pharmacology October 11, 2013
- A brain imaging study of dopamine receptor D2 availability in cannabis dependent users after recovery from cannabis-induced psychosis Frontiers in Psychiatry October 27, 2023
- Strategic control, consolidation and poly-drug use; the relative contributions to verbal memory impairment in recreational ecstasy users UTAS Research Repository August 1, 2014
and 8 more in the library
Cites 3
- Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers Molecular Psychiatry July 12, 2011
- Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol induces dopamine release in the human striatum. Neuropsychopharmacology February 2009
- Gene-environment interplay between cannabis and psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin November 1, 2008