Altered brain activation during visuomotor integration in chronic active cannabis users: relationship to cortisol levels.
George R King, Thomas Ernst, Weiran Deng, Andrew Stenger, Rachael M K Gonzales, Helenna Nakama, Linda Chang
Journal of Neuroscience December 7, 2011 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4148-11.2011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Chronic active cannabis users (16 men, 14 women, ages 18-45) and nondrug user controls (16 men, 14 women, ages 19-44) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Male, but not female, chronic cannabis users performed significantly slower on psychomotor speed tests than controls. Cannabis users showed greater activation in BA 6 and less in visual area BA 17 during a finger-sequencing task, and had higher salivary cortisol levels (p = 0.002). The authors propose that elevated cortisol may mediate altered brain activity and less efficient visual-motor function. |
Abstract
Cannabis is the most abused illegal substance in the United States. Alterations in brain function and motor behavior have been reported in chronic cannabis users, but the results have been variable. The current study aimed to determine whether chronic active cannabis use in humans may alter psychomotor function, brain activation, and hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA) function in men and women. Thirty cannabis users (16 men, 14 women, 18-45 years old) and 30 nondrug user controls (16 men, 14 women, 19-44 years old) were evaluated with neuropsychological tests designed to assess motor behavior and with fMRI using a 3 Tesla scanner during a visually paced finger-sequencing task, cued by a flashing checkerboard (at 2 or 4 Hz). Salivary cortisol was measured to assess HPA function. Male, but not female, cannabis users had significantly slower performance on psychomotor speed tests. As a group, cannabis users had greater activation in BA 6 than controls, while controls had greater activation in the visual area BA 17 than cannabis users. Cannabis users also had higher salivary cortisol levels than controls (p = 0.002). Chronic active cannabis use is associated with slower and less efficient psychomotor function, especially in male users, as indicated by a shift from regions involved with automated visually guided responses to more executive or attentional control areas. The greater but altered brain activities may be mediated by the higher cortisol levels in the cannabis users, which in turn may lead to less efficient visual-motor function.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population | 2009 | Case-control study | n = 454 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people | 2000 | Observational | |
| Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 1,923 |
| Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 535 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 19
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- Neural Correlates of the Severity of Cocaine, Heroin, Alcohol, MDMA and Cannabis Use in Polysubstance Abusers: A Resting-PET Brain Metabolism Study PLoS One June 29, 2012
- Attenuated frontal and sensory inputs to the basal ganglia in cannabis users Addiction Biology March 3, 2016
- Cognitive motor deficits in cannabis users Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences July 19, 2016
- Mood Fluctuation and Psychobiological Instability: The Same Core Functions Are Disrupted by Novel Psychoactive Substances and Established Recreational Drugs Brain Sciences March 13, 2018
and 14 more in the library
Cites 6
- Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Psychological Medicine July 23, 2009
- Psychomotor performance in relation to acute oral administration of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and standardized cannabis extract in healthy human subjects. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience August 2009
- The effects of cannabinoids on serum cortisol and prolactin in humans. Psychopharmacology May 2009
- A study investigating the acute dose-response effects of 13 mg and 17 mg Delta 9- tetrahydrocannabinol on cognitive-motor skills, subjective and autonomic measures in regular users of marijuana. Journal of Psychopharmacology June 2008
- Functional imaging studies in cannabis users. The Neuroscientist October 2007
and 1 more in the library