Cannabis-related impairments to cognitive function may represent novel therapeutic targets for cannabis-use disorder, although the nature, persistence, and reversibility of such deficits remain unclear. Adult male rhesus monkeys (N = 6) responded in the morning on tasks designed to assess different cognitive domains using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB)...
The relationship between cannabis use and the onset of psychosis is well established. Aberrant salience processing is widely thought to underpin many of these symptoms. Literature explicitly investigating the relationship between aberrant salience processing and cannabis use is scarce; with those few studies finding that acute tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration (the main psychoactive...
The medical use of marijuana is increasing, yet little is known about the exposure-response relationship for its psychoactive effects. It is well known that the plasma concentrations of the principal psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), do not directly correlate to the observed psychoactive effects. The purpose of this research was to use an effect-compartment...
The vast majority of states have enacted full or partial medical marijuana (MMJ) programs, causing the number of patients seeking certification for MMJ use to increase dramatically in recent years. Despite increased use of MMJ across the nation, no studies thus far have examined the specific impact of MMJ on cognitive function and related brain activation. In the present study, MMJ patients...
We examined the effects of essential oil from legal (THC <0.2% w/v) hemp variety on the nervous system in 5 healthy volunteers. GC/EIMS and GC/FID analysis of the EO showed that the main components were myrcene and β‐caryophyllene. The experiment consisted of measuring autonomic nervous system (ANS) parameters; evaluations of the mood state; and electroencephalography (EEG) recording before...
Drug-discrimination procedures empirically evaluate the control that internal drug states have over behavior. They provide a highly selective method to investigate the neuropharmacological underpinnings of the interoceptive effects of drugs in vivo. As a result, drug discrimination has been one of the most widely used assays in the field of behavioral pharmacology. Drug-discrimination...
The plant Cannabis sativa, commonly called cannabis or marijuana, has been used for its psychotropic and mind-altering side effects for millennia. There has been growing attention in recent years on its potential therapeutic efficacy as municipalities and legislative bodies in the United States, Canada, and other countries grapple with enacting policy to facilitate the use of cannabis or its...
The US has seen an increase in the popularity of highly concentrated forms of cannabis (hereafter concentrates) and too little is known about the potential risks associated with their use. The present study aims to better understand the patterns and outcomes of concentrates use through the perspectives of young adult users. Participants (N = 234, 27.9% female) aged 18-35 years were recruited...
Cannabis ist neben Nikotin und Alkohol eine der am häufigsten psychotropen Substanzen weltweit. Welche Auswirkungen hat regelmässiger Cannabis-Konsum auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit an einer Psychose zu erkranken? Wie wirkt er sich aus bei Personen mit einer Prädisposition oder bei bereits Erkrankten?
Marijuana is the most widely consumed recreational drug in the world. In Canada, physicians are experiencing increasing pressure to prescribe medical marijuana, with proposed legalization coming in late 2018. The use of marijuana in the psychiatric population is increasing, and the prescribing process is largely unregulated. In spite of several medicinal indications, chronic marijuana use is...
The gestational and adolescent periods are critically important for brain development and exposure to Δ9‑tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) during these periods results in long term behavioral and biochemical abnormalities in laboratory animals. However, recent reports indicate a dramatic rise in oral Δ9-THC exposure in young children but the effects of this exposure scenario have not been...
Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are widespread in the nervous system and influence a variety of behaviors. Weakly electric fish have been a useful model system in the study of the neural basis of behavior, but we know nothing of the role played by the CB system. Here, we determine the overall behavioral effect of a nonselective CB receptor agonist, namely Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in the weakly...
PLoS One2018Mónica R Fernández-Cabrera, Alejandro Higuera-Matas, Isabel Fernaud-Espinosa et al.
Derivatives from the Cannabis plant are the most commonly abused illegal substances in the world. The main psychoactive component found in the plant, Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exerts its effects through the endocannabinoid system. Manipulations of this system affect some types of learning that seem to be dependent on dorsal striatum synaptic plasticity. Dendritic spines exhibit important...
Alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], 'Molly') are among the most prevalent substances used by young adults; however, few studies have focused on the specific sexual effects associated with use. Examining subjective sexual effects (e.g. increased libido) associated with use can inform prevention efforts. Data were analysed from 679 nightclub and dance...
The associations between cannabis use and psychosis are well documented in numerous studies. There is a need to evaluate the impact of cannabis use on inpatient psychiatric utilization and outcomes. To evaluate the impact of cannabis use on psychiatric hospital outcomes. This study was conducted between April 20, 2015 and October 20, 2015. All patients (n = 120) admitted to Denver Health with...
The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the rich tradition of self-experiments (SEs) with psychoactive substances carried out by scientists and therapists for more than a century. Scientifically inspired controlled SEs dominated until the end of the twentieth century, when ethical requirements minimized controlled SEs and "wild" SEs expanded particularly with the emergence of new...
Background Recreational drug use is a major cause of disease, injury, physical and mental impairment and death in developed countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybe mushrooms are recreational drugs with capacity to cause harm. Cannabis, MDMA and psilocybin have reported therapeutic...