Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol effects in schizophrenia: implications for cognition, psychosis, and addiction.
Deepak Cyril D'Souza, Walid Michel Abi-Saab, Steven Madonick, Kimberlee Forselius-Bielen, Anne Doersch, Gabriel Braley, Ralitza Gueorguieva, Thomas B. Cooper, John Harrison Krystal
Biological Psychiatry March 15, 2005 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.12.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Stable, antipsychotic-treated schizophrenia patients |
| Intervention | Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9-THC) |
| Dose | 0 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg intravenous Delta-9-THC |
| Duration | 3-day study |
| Topics | Addiction Cannabis |
| Key findings | Intravenous Delta-9-THC at 2.5 mg and 5 mg transiently increased learning and recall deficits, positive, negative, and general schizophrenia symptoms, perceptual alterations, akathisia, rigidity, dyskinesia, vigilance deficits, and plasma prolactin and cortisol in schizophrenia patients. Patients were more vulnerable to Delta-9-THC effects on recall relative to control subjects. The authors suggest Delta-9-THC may differentially affect schizophrenia patients and that enhanced cognitive sensitivity warrants further study of cannabinoid receptor dysfunction in schizophrenia. |
Abstract
Recent advances in the neurobiology of cannabinoids have renewed interest in the association between cannabis and psychotic disorders. In a 3-day, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, the behavioral, cognitive, motor, and endocrine effects of 0 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg intravenous Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9-THC) were characterized in 13 stable, antipsychotic-treated schizophrenia patients. These data were compared with effects in healthy subjects reported elsewhere. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol transiently increased 1) learning and recall deficits; 2) positive, negative, and general schizophrenia symptoms; 3) perceptual alterations; 4) akathisia, rigidity, and dyskinesia; 5) deficits in vigilance; and 6) plasma prolactin and cortisol. Schizophrenia patients were more vulnerable to Delta-9-THC effects on recall relative to control subjects. There were no serious short- or long-term adverse events associated with study participation. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is associated with transient exacerbation in core psychotic and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. These data do not provide a reason to explain why schizophrenia patients use or misuse cannabis. Furthermore, Delta-9-THC might differentially affect schizophrenia patients relative to control subjects. Finally, the enhanced sensitivity to the cognitive effects of Delta-9-THC warrants further study into whether brain cannabinoid receptor dysfunction contributes to the pathophysiology of the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on cannabis for addiction, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 129
- Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Journal of Psychopharmacology October 5, 2012
- Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Archives of General Psychiatry 2009
- Traditional marijuana, high‐potency cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids: increasing risk for psychosis World Psychiatry September 22, 2016
- Gone to Pot – A Review of the Association between Cannabis and Psychosis Frontiers in Psychiatry May 22, 2014
- Effects of cannabis use on outcomes of psychotic disorders: systematic review The British Journal of Psychiatry October 31, 2008
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