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Cannabidiol does not attenuate acute delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced attentional bias in healthy volunteers: A randomised, double-blind, cross-over study.

Dominic Oliver, Amir Englund, Edward Chesney, Lucy Chester, Jack Wilson, Simina Sovi, Stina Wigroth, John Hodsoll, John Strang, Robin Murray, Tom P. Freeman, Paolo Fusar‐poli, Philip Mcguire

Addiction February 2024 DOI: 10.1111/add.16353 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Double-blind, randomised, within-subjects cross-over study Randomized Peer reviewed
Sample size 46
Population Infrequent cannabis users (cannabis use less than once per week)
Dose 10 mg THC with either 0 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg CBD
Measures Attentional Bias (AB) task, Picture Rating (PR) task on a 7-point pleasantness scale
Topics Cannabis CBD
Keywords Attentional bias Cannabis use disorder Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
Key points Inhaled THC (10 mg) increased attentional bias toward cannabis stimuli relative to baseline (mean difference 12.2, 95% CI 1.20-23.3, d = 0.41) without changing explicit liking. CBD at 0, 10, 20, or 30 mg did not significantly affect attentional bias or picture ratings at any dose, and there was no cumulative effect of THC exposure.

Abstract

To test how attentional bias and explicit liking are influenced by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and whether these effects are moderated by cannabidiol (CBD). Double-blind, randomised, within-subjects cross-over study. NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility at King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Forty-six infrequent cannabis users (cannabis use <1 per week). Across four sessions, participants inhaled vaporised cannabis containing 10 mg of THC and either 0 mg (0:1 CBD:THC), 10 mg (1:1), 20 mg (2:1) or 30 mg (3:1) of CBD, administered in a randomised order and counter-balanced across participants (a total of 24 order groups). Participants completed two tasks: (1) Attentional Bias (AB), comparing reaction times toward visual probes presented behind 28 target stimuli (cannabis/food) compared with probes behind corresponding non-target (neutral) stimuli. Participants responding more quickly to probes behind target than non-target stimuli would indicate greater attentional bias to cannabis/food; (2) Picture Rating (PR), where all AB stimuli were rated on a 7-point pleasantness scale, measuring explicit liking. During the AB task, participants were more biased toward cannabis stimuli in the 0:1 condition compared with baseline (mean difference = 12.2, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] = 1.20-23.3, d = 0.41, P = 0.03). No other significant AB or PR differences were found between cannabis and food stimuli between baseline and 0:1 condition (P > 0.05). No significant CBD effect was found on AB or PR task performance at any dose (P > 0.05). There was additionally no cumulative effect of THC exposure on AB or PR outcomes (P > 0.05). A double-blind, randomised, cross-over study among infrequent cannabis users found that inhaled delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol increased attentional bias toward cannabis in the absence of explicit liking, a marker of liability toward cannabis use disorder. At the concentrations normally found in legal and illegal cannabis, cannabidiol had no influence on this effect.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on CBD, 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
Inverted U-Shaped Dose-Response Curve of the Anxiolytic Effect of Cannabidiol during Public Speaking in Real Life Healthy subjects aged 18 to 35 years 2017 Randomized controlled trial n = 60
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

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