Archives of Psychiatry and Mental Health
July 29, 2026
Diamond Onyekachi Okoroezi
Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the neuropsychiatric effects of cannabis, focusing on the contrasting roles of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). It evaluated their associations with psychiatric outcomes, assessed the therapeutic potential of cannabis-based products (CBPs), and identified evidence gaps relevant to clinical practice and mental health...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
July 15, 2026
Lucy A Chester, François-Olivier Hebert, Pamela Lachance-Touchette et al.
BACKGROUND Cannabidiol (CBD) is widely consumed in low-dose products. However, evidence for its psychotropic effects at non-clinical doses is sparse and inconsistent. AIMS To characterise the acute behavioural effects of low-dose synthetic CBD in healthy volunteers. We hypothesised that 200 mg of CBD would produce a greater peak pleasant drug effect than a placebo. METHODS In a triple-blind,...
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
June 16, 2026
Daniel B.a. Prado, Matheus T. Rossignoli, Rafael N. Ruggiero et al.
Objective: Current treatments for schizophrenia (SZ) are often not effective for all symptoms, with sex-dependent effects poorly understood. Cannabidiol (CBD) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) have emerged as potential prophylactic options. We evaluated their efficacy in preventing positive, negative, and cognitive deficits in a ketamine (KET) rodent model of SZ in both sexes. Methods: Wistar rats...
Psychoactives
June 8, 2026
Fizza Mitter, Anton Sheptooha, Janni Leung et al.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains inadequately treated by existing pharmacological and psychological interventions, prompting growing interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Although randomised controlled trials have evaluated several psychedelic agents for PTSD, to our knowledge, no prior PTSD-specific synthesis has quantitatively examined multiple agent classes within a...
Physiological research
May 12, 2026
Marcel Bochin, Čestmír Vejmola, Vlastimil Koudelka et al.
Cannabinoids modulate brain network activity, yet the spatial organization and temporal evolution of their electrophysiological effects remain insufficiently characterized in animal models. Here, we investigated how acute oral administration of ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 10 mg/kg), cannabidiol (CBD; 10 mg/kg), and their combination influences resting-state EEG dynamics in freely moving rats....
Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
March 17, 2026
Ieva Poceviciute, Martynas Arbaciauskas, Rokas Buisas et al.
Previous studies have demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD), and CB1 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists show promise as a novel AUD pharmacotherapy. However, these compounds failed in clinical trials due to the severe psychiatric side effects. Non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids may have a better safety profile...
Biological Psychiatry
March 16, 2026
Xianglian Wang, Jing Xia, Heyi Luo et al.
Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant and antidepressant-like effects in both humans and animal models. However, its therapeutic benefits are tempered by psychoactive side effects, such as hyperlocomotion associated with enhanced dopaminergic activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). We tested the therapeutic effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on locomotor activity after systemic (30 mg/kg) or...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
March 1, 2026
Eilidh Macnicol, Michelle Kokkinou, Maria Elisa Serrano Navacerrada et al.
2 citations
Cannabis constituents, including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), show distinct pharmacological profiles with therapeutic relevance for neurological and psychiatric conditions. THC exerts euphoric effects primarily via CB1 receptor activation, while CBD displays non-euphoric properties affecting various pathways. This study evaluated the effects of THC, CBD, and their...
Psychoactives
February 3, 2026
Eliana Rodrigues
Interest in psychoactive substances, including psychedelics, is rapidly expanding in medical, academic, and other popular fields. Despite the classifications established within the psychopharmacological scientific community, certain plants, animals, and fungi, as well as the substances obtained from them, have been misclassified by both the media and academic circles. This opinion piece aims to...
Iranian Journal of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering
December 7, 2025
Sajedeh Rabipour, Evan Abdolkareem Mahmood, Abdol Ghaffar Ebadi et al.
To aid the therapeutic process, illicit chemical substances and drugs are used in drug therapy. Various cultures have used illegal substances for thousands of years in medicine and various practices. The present study is a general approach to pharmaceutical science and attempts to contextualize drug-assisted therapy through an integrative literature review. All related articles were found...
Journal of Translational Medicine
October 2, 2020
Lara Sharpe, Justin Sinclair, Andrew Kramer et al.
122 citations
BACKGROUND: -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been associated with an anxiogenic response, while anxiolytic activity has been attributed mainly to cannabidiol (CBD). In animal studies, the effects of THC are highly dose-dependent, and biphasic effects of cannabinoids on anxiety-related responses have been extensively documented. A more precise assessment is required of both the anxiolytic and...
Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2019
Thomas R. Arkell, Nicholas Lintzeris, Richard C. Kevin et al.
177 citations
BACKGROUND: The main psychoactive component of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can impair driving performance. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating cannabis component, is thought to mitigate certain adverse effects of THC. It is possible then that cannabis containing equivalent CBD and THC will differentially affect driving and cognition relative to THC-dominant cannabis. AIMS:...
Pharmacology & Therapeutics
October 20, 2018
Michael Bloomfield, Chandni Hindocha, Sebastian F Green et al.
236 citations
receptor. Acutely, cannabis and THC produce a range of effects on several neurocognitive and pharmacological systems. These include effects on executive, emotional, reward and memory processing via direct interactions with the endocannabinoid system and indirect effects on the glutamatergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic systems. Cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in some forms of...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
May 11, 2017
Antônio Waldo Zuardi, Natália Pegoraro Rodrigues, Angélica L. Silva et al.
292 citations
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol (CBD) in humans follows the same pattern of an inverted U-shaped dose-effect curve observed in many animal studies. Sixty healthy subjects of both sexes aged between 18 and 35 years were randomly assigned to five groups that received placebo, clonazepam (1 mg), and CBD (100, 300, and 900 mg). The subjects...
Psychopharmacology
September 2, 2016
Will Lawn, Tom P. Freeman, Rebecca Pope et al.
177 citations
RATIONALE: Anecdotally, both acute and chronic cannabis use have been associated with apathy, amotivation, and other reward processing deficits. To date, empirical support for these effects is limited, and no previous studies have assessed both acute effects of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), as well as associations with cannabis dependence. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 5, 2012
Amir Englund, Paul D. Morrison, Judith Nottage et al.
463 citations
Community-based studies suggest that cannabis products that are high in Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but low in cannabidiol (CBD) are particularly hazardous for mental health. Laboratory-based studies are ideal for clarifying this issue because THC and CBD can be administered in pure form, under controlled conditions. In a between-subjects design, we tested the hypothesis that pre-treatment...
Current Pharmaceutical Design
September 12, 2012
Rocío Martín‐Santos, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Albert Batalla et al.
288 citations
RATIONALE: Animal and humans studies suggest that the two main constituents of cannabis sativa, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have quite different acute effects. However, to date the two compounds have largely been studied separately. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the acute pharmacological effects of both THC and CBD in the same human volunteers. METHODS: A...
Psychopharmacology
October 30, 2010
Johannes G. Ramaekers, Eef L. Theunissen, Marjolein de Brouwer et al.
168 citations
INTRODUCTION: Previous research has shown that heavy cannabis users develop tolerance to the impairing effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on neurocognitive functions. Animal studies suggest that chronic cannabis consumption may also produce cross-tolerance for the impairing effects of alcohol, but supportive data in humans is scarce. PURPOSE: The present study was designed to assess...
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
March 1, 2010
Jaime E. C. Hallak, João Paulo Machado‐de‐Sousa, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
122 citations
OBJECTIVE: The last decade has seen increasing evidence of dysfunctions in the endogenous cannabinoid system in schizophrenia and of its relationship with the typical cognitive impairment of the disorder. Studies in animal models, healthy volunteers, and psychotic patients clearly suggest an antipsychotic-like effect of cannabidiol. This study investigated the effects of cannabidiol on...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 24, 2009
Paolo Fusar‐poli, Paul Allen, Sagnik Bhattacharyya et al.
165 citations
Cannabis sativa, the most widely used illicit drug, has profound effects on levels of anxiety in animals and humans. Although recent studies have helped provide a better understanding of the neurofunctional correlates of these effects, indicating the involvement of the amygdala and cingulate cortex, their reciprocal influence is still mostly unknown. In this study dynamic causal modelling (DCM)...
Psychological Medicine
July 23, 2009
Rocío Martín‐Santos, Ana B. Fagundo, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
207 citations
BACKGROUND: We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for specific effects of cannabis on brain structure and function. The review focuses on the cognitive changes associated with acute and chronic use of the drug. METHOD: We reviewed literature reporting neuroimaging studies of chronic or acute cannabis use published up until January 2009. The search was conducted using Medline,...
Archives of General Psychiatry
April 1, 2009
Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Paolo Fusar‐poli, Stefan Borgwardt et al.
250 citations
CONTEXT: Cannabis sativa use can impair verbal learning, provoke acute psychosis, and increase the risk of schizophrenia. It is unclear where C. sativa acts in the human brain to modulate verbal learning and to induce psychotic symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of 2 main psychoactive constituents of C. sativa, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC) and cannabidiol, on regional...
Archives of General Psychiatry
2009
Paolo Fusar‐poli, José A. Crippa, Sagnik Bhattacharyya et al.
461 citations
CONTEXT: Cannabis use can both increase and reduce anxiety in humans. The neurophysiological substrates of these effects are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of 2 main psychoactive constituents of Cannabis sativa (Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol [Delta9-THC] and cannabidiol [CBD]) on regional brain function during emotional processing. DESIGN: Subjects were studied on 3 separate...
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
April 1, 2006
Antônio Waldo Zuardi, José A. Crippa, Jaime E. C. Hallak et al.
411 citations
A high dose of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main Cannabis sativa (cannabis) component, induces anxiety and psychotic-like symptoms in healthy volunteers. These effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol are significantly reduced by cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis constituent which is devoid of the typical effects of the plant. This observation led us to suspect that CBD could have anxiolytic...