The acute effects of tetrahydrocannabinol on auditory threshold and frequency resolution in human subjects.
M Mulheran, P Middleton, J A Henry
Human & Experimental Toxicology June 2002 DOI: 10.1191/0960327102ht258oa (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized cross-over, double-blind experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 8 |
| Population | Male subjects aged 22-30 years with previous experience of cannabis use |
| Intervention | Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) |
| Dose | 7.5 or 15 mg |
| Duration | Three test sessions at weekly intervals; testing 2 hours after ingestion |
| Measures | air conduction pure tone audiometry, frequency selectivity test (detecting a 4-kHz tone under two masking noise conditions), delta 9- and 11-OH-THC blood levels |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Oral THC at 7.5 mg and 15 mg produced no significant changes in pure-tone hearing thresholds (0.5-8 kHz) or in a 4-kHz frequency-selectivity task measured two hours after ingestion. The authors suggest that THC at the plasma levels attained in this study does not have a profound effect on processing of elementary auditory stimuli. |
Abstract
The study was designed to investigate the acute effects of ingested tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on auditory function. Eight male subjects (aged 22-30 years), who had previous experience of cannabis use, took part in this study. They performed air conduction pure tone audiometry in both ears over 0.5-8 kHz. A simple test of frequency selectivity by detecting a 4-kHz tone under two masking noise conditions was also carried out in one ear. Three test sessions at weekly intervals were carried out, at the start of which they ingested a capsule containing either placebo, or 7.5 or 15 mg of THC. These were administered in a randomized cross-over, double-blind manner. Auditory testing as described above was carried out 2 hours after ingestion. Blood samples were also obtained at this time point and assayed for delta 9- and 11-OH-THC levels. No significant changes in threshold or frequency resolution were seen with the dosages employed in this study. This suggests that THC at the plasma levels attained in this study does not have profound effect on the processing of elementary stimuli by the auditory pathway.
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 |