Impairment of inhibitory control processing related to acute psychotomimetic effects of cannabis.
Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Zerrin Atakan, Rocío Martín‐Santos, José A. Crippa, Joseph P. Kambeitz, S Malhi, Vincent Giampietro, S Williams, M Brammer, Katya Rubia, D A Collier, P K McGuire
European Neuropsychopharmacology January 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.11.018 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Repeated-measures, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-subject experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Healthy, English-speaking, right-handed men with minimal previous exposure to cannabis and other illicit drugs |
| Intervention | Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) |
| Dose | 10 mg |
| Measures | functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), response inhibition (Go/No-Go) task |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Functional MRI Inferior frontal gyrus Psychotic symptoms Response inhibition |
| Key findings | Oral delta-9-THC (10 mg) caused transient psychotic symptoms, anxiety, intoxication, sedation, more inhibition errors, and reduced inhibition efficiency compared with placebo. Under THC, psychotic symptom severity correlated directly with inhibition errors and inversely with inhibition efficiency, and THC attenuated left inferior frontal activation, which correlated with these behavioral and symptom measures. The authors propose that impaired inhibitory control and inferior frontal function may contribute to cannabis-induced transient psychotic symptoms. |
Abstract
Cannabis use can induce acute psychotic symptoms and increase the risk of schizophrenia. Impairments in inhibitory control and processing are known to occur both under the influence of cannabis and in schizophrenia. Whether cannabis-induced impairment in inhibitory processing is related to the acute induction of psychotic symptoms under its influence is unclear. We investigated the effects of acute oral administration of 10mg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, on inhibitory control and regional brain activation during inhibitory processing in humans and examined whether these effects are related to the induction of psychotic symptoms under its influence using a repeated-measures, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-subject design. We studied thirty-six healthy, English-speaking, right-handed men with minimal previous exposure to cannabis and other illicit drugs twice using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they performed a response inhibition (Go/No-Go) task. Relative to placebo, delta-9-THC caused transient psychotic symptoms, anxiety, intoxication and sedation, inhibition errors and impaired inhibition efficiency. Severity of psychotic symptoms was directly correlated with inhibition error frequency and inversely with inhibition efficiency under the influence of delta-9-THC. Delta-9-THC attenuated left inferior frontal activation which was inversely correlated with the frequency of inhibition errors and severity of psychotic symptoms and positively with inhibition efficiency under its influence. These results provide experimental evidence that impairments in cognitive processes involved in the inhibitory control of thoughts and actions and inferior frontal function under the influence of cannabis may have a role in the emergence of transient psychotic symptoms under its influence.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Healthy participants | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 48 |
| Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Healthy, English-native, right-handed men who had used cannabis 15 times or less in... | 2009 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial | n = 15 |
| Acute Effects of a Single, Oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) Administration in Healthy Volunteers Healthy male subjects | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 16 |
| Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Healthy, native English-speaking, right-handed men of white race/ethnicity who had used... | 2009 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 15 |
| Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Healthy volunteers with a history of light cannabis use | 2019 | Randomized, double-blind, within-subjects crossover | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 32
- The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies Pharmacology & Therapeutics October 20, 2018
- Human Laboratory Studies on Cannabinoids and Psychosis. Biological Psychiatry April 1, 2016
- Acute LSD effects on response inhibition neural networks Psychological Medicine October 2, 2017
- Unraveling the Intoxicating and Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis Ingredients on Psychosis and Cognition Frontiers in Psychology May 14, 2020
- Comparative Effects of Methylphenidate, Modafinil, and MDMA on Response Inhibition Neural Networks in Healthy Subjects The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology May 16, 2017
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Cites 11
- Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Archives of General Psychiatry April 1, 2009
- Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature Psychological Medicine July 23, 2009
- Induction of psychosis by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol reflects modulation of prefrontal and striatal function during attentional salience processing. Archives of General Psychiatry January 2012
- Evidence of increased activation underlying cognitive control in ecstasy and cannabis users. Neuroimage August 15, 2010
- Opposite effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on human brain function and psychopathology. Neuropsychopharmacology November 18, 2009
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