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Effects of smoking marijuana on brain perfusion and cognition.

Daniel S O'Leary, Robert I Block, Julie A Koeppel, Michael Flaum, Susan K Schultz, Nancy C Andreasen, Laura L. Boles Ponto, G Leonard Watkins, Richard R Hurtig, Richard D Hichwa

Neuropsychopharmacology June 2002 DOI: 10.1016/s0893-133x(01)00425-0 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Double-blinded, placebo-controlled study Peer reviewed
Sample size 12
Population Recreational marijuana users
Interventions Marijuana placebo cigarettes
Topics Cannabis
Key points Smoking marijuana produced intoxication and marked cardiovascular increases without significantly altering mean attention-task performance or global cerebral blood flow. Regional blood flow increased in anterior paralimbic regions and cerebellum but decreased in temporal auditory, visual, and attentional-network areas; no significant changes occurred in nucleus accumbens, other reward regions, basal ganglia, or hippocampus.

Abstract

The effects of smoking marijuana on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and cognitive performance were assessed in 12 recreational users in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. PET with [(15)Oxygen]-labeled water ([(15)O]H(2)O) was used to measure rCBF before and after smoking of marijuana and placebo cigarettes, as subjects repeatedly performed an auditory attention task. Smoking marijuana resulted in intoxication, as assessed by a behavioral rating scale, but did not significantly alter mean behavioral performance on the attention task. Heart rate and blood pressure increased dramatically following smoking of marijuana but not placebo cigarettes. However, mean global CBF did not change significantly. Increased rCBF was observed in orbital and mesial frontal lobes, insula, temporal poles, anterior cingulate, as well as in the cerebellum. The increases in rCBF in anterior brain regions were predominantly in "paralimbic" regions and may be related to marijuana's mood-related effects. Reduced rCBF was observed in temporal lobe auditory regions, in visual cortex, and in brain regions that may be part of an attentional network (parietal lobe, frontal lobe and thalamus). These rCBF decreases may be the neural basis of perceptual and cognitive alterations that occur with acute marijuana intoxication. There was no significant rCBF change in the nucleus accumbens or other reward-related brain regions, nor in basal ganglia or hippocampus, which have a high density of cannabinoid receptors.

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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

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