The acute effects of cannabis on human executive function
P. Oomen, Hendrika H Van Hell, Matthijs G. Bossong
Behavioural Pharmacology September 7, 2018 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000426 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Cannabis |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that acute cannabis or THC administration impairs inhibition, most strongly after pulmonary administration of higher THC doses, with neuroimaging evidence pointing to the inferior frontal gyrus as the main mediator. Working memory and reasoning/association are less clearly affected, possibly due to compensatory neural mechanisms. Variation in results may reflect task attentional demands, administration methods, and participants' cannabis use history. |
Abstract
Cannabis remains the most frequently used illicit drug worldwide. It produces a broad range of acute effects, such as euphoria, increased heart rate and perceptual alterations. Over the last few decades, a substantial number of experiments have been conducted to provide insight into the acute effects of cannabis on cognition. Here, we systematically review studies that investigated the impact of administration of cannabis or [INCREMENT]9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, on human executive function, in particular, on the three principal domains of inhibition, working memory and reasoning/association. Our findings suggest that cannabis use results in acute impairment of inhibition, with the strongest effects after pulmonary administration of higher doses of [INCREMENT]9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Results from neuroimaging studies indicate that these effects are predominantly modulated through neural processes in the inferior frontal gyrus. Working memory and reasoning/association are less clearly affected by cannabis administration, possibly because of compensational neural mechanisms to overcome the effects of cannabis intoxication on performance accuracy. Factors that may account for the variation in results are the extent to which a paradigm involves attentional processes, differences between studies in administration methods and variation in the patients’ history of cannabis use.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effects of cannabis use on outcomes of psychotic disorders: systematic review People with psychotic disorders, as examined in 13 longitudinal studies | 2008 | Systematic review | |
| The Impact of Cannabis Use on Cognitive Functioning in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis of Existing Findings and New Data in a First-Episode Sample Patients with established schizophrenia (meta-analysis: 572) and patients with... | 2010 | Meta-analysis and cross-sectional observational study | n = 700 |
| Medicinal cannabis for psychiatric disorders: a clinically-focused systematic review | 2020 | Systematic review | |
| Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Cannabis users and controls in neuroimaging studies | 2009 | Systematic review | |
| Human Laboratory Studies on Cannabinoids and Psychosis. Healthy human subjects and individuals with schizophrenia | 2016 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Substance-Induced Psychoses: An Updated Literature Review Frontiers in Psychiatry December 23, 2021
- Acute effects of partial CB1 receptor agonists on cognition - A meta-analysis of human studies. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry August 10, 2020
- Developing a phone-based measure of impairment after acute oral ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Journal of Psychopharmacology September 1, 2019
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