Psychopharmacology
November 25, 2020
Abril Rangel-Pacheco, Brandon J. Lew, Mikki Schantell et al.
Cognitive processing impairments have been associated with acute cannabis use, but there is mixed evidence regarding the cognitive effects of chronic cannabis use. Several neuroimaging studies have noted selective-attention processing differences in those who chronically use cannabis, but the neural dynamics governing the altered processing is unclear. Twenty-four adults reporting at least...
Scientific Reports
November 23, 2020
A. Zagzoog, Kawthar A. Mohamed, H. J. J. Kim et al.
The Cannabis sativa plant contains more than 120 cannabinoids. With the exceptions of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), comparatively little is known about the pharmacology of the less-abundant plant-derived (phyto) cannabinoids. The best-studied transducers of cannabinoid-dependent effects are type 1 and type 2 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R, CB2R). Partial agonism of CB1R...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
November 21, 2020
Matthew B. Wall, Tom P. Freeman, Chandni Hindocha et al.
4 citations
preprint
Abstract Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two major constituents of cannabis with contrasting mechanisms of action. THC is the major psychoactive, addiction-promoting, and psychotomimetic compound, while CBD may have somewhat opposite effects. The brain effects of these drugs alone and in combination are poorly understood. In particular the striatum is implicated in the...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
November 1, 2020
Sarah A. Okey, Madeline H Meier
Cannabis concentrates have much higher concentrations of THC than marijuana (flower) and are quickly gaining popularity in the United States. One hypothesis is that use of higher-THC cannabis (concentrates) might result in greater intoxication and more severe acute negative effects than lower-THC cannabis (marijuana), but few studies have compared the subjective effects of concentrates and...
Psychological Medicine
October 27, 2020
Marco Colizzi, Nathalie Weltens, David J Lythgoe et al.
8 citations
Abstract Background Cannabis use has been associated with psychosis through exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), its key psychoactive ingredient. Although preclinical and human evidence suggests that Δ9-THC acutely modulates glial function and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, whether differential sensitivity to the acute psychotomimetic effects of Δ9-THC is...
Substance Use & Misuse
October 24, 2020
Balthazar Bazin, David Duroy, Michel Lejoyeux
27 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) is increasing being used by youth in Europe and in France, but characteristics of its use are unknown. Objectives: The aim was to characterize MDMA use in a sample of French medical students. Methods: Cross-sectional study of Paris VII medical students (N = 592) with an online self-reporting questionnaire. Results: 592 students completed the online...
European Addiction Research
October 20, 2020
Miriam Wittemann, Jule Brielmaier, M. Rubly et al.
Introduction: Acute and long-term adverse effects of heavy cannabis use (HCU) on neurocognitive function have been suggested, as much as regional changes of brain volume. However, little is known about the relationship between impaired cognition and brain structure in individuals with HCU. Objective: Here, we investigated associations between cognition and cortical thickness (CT) in males with...
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...
Neuropsychopharmacology
October 1, 2020
Kirsten C. S. Adam, Manoj K. Doss, Elisa Pabon et al.
2 citations
With the increasing prevalence of legal cannabis use and availability, there is an urgent need to identify cognitive impairments related to its use. It is widely believed that cannabis, or its main psychoactive component Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), impairs working memory, i.e., the ability to temporarily hold information in mind. However, our review of the literature yielded surprisingly...
Biological Psychiatry
September 29, 2020
M. H. Mejia, N. Wade, Rachel E. Baca et al.
Accumulating evidence suggests that the use of cannabis and nicotine and tobacco-related products (NTPs) during the adolescent years has harmful effects on the developing brain. Yet, few studies have focused on the developing brain as it relates to the co-administration of cannabis and NTPs, despite the high prevalence rates of co-use in adolescence. The review aimed to synthesize the existing...
Farmacja Polska
September 28, 2020
Agata Tadeja
1 citation
Research on using drugs in medicine was almost completely stopped and delegalized in 1971, by Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Most of studies carried out before 1971 were methodologically inappropriate according to current research methodologies, yet it was proven that there is some potential in using substances like lysergic acid diethylamide, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine,...
Journal of Cannabis Research
September 22, 2020
Petter Grahl Johnstad
29 citations
BACKGROUND: While cannabis has a long history of spiritual use, its normalization in Western societies during the last decades has led to more recreational use. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of spiritual cannabis use as compared to recreational use and to the use of psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin. METHODS: The study employed a mixed methods research design that...
Cureus
September 8, 2020
Garrett Rossi, Melanie Beck
4 citations
A patient presented to the emergency department with his brother due to recent onset of paranoid behavior that escalated over the past month. The patient endorsed paranoid delusions of people watching him and following him in a black truck. The patient admitted to being unable to sleep for the past two weeks and to having hypervigilant behavior whenever he leaves the house. Due to the patient's...
Neuropsychopharmacology Reports
September 7, 2020
Toshihiko Matsumoto, Toshitaka Kawabata, Kyoji Okita et al.
9 citations
AIM: The objective of the current study was to identify risk factors that affect the onset of dependence and chronic psychosis due to cannabis use. METHODS: We examined clinical genetic factors, psychiatric disorders prior to cannabis use, starting age of cannabis use, duration and frequency of cannabis use, types of cannabis products used, combined use of other psychoactive substances, and the...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
September 2, 2020
K. Gicas, Alex Y T Cheng, William J. Panenka et al.
Longitudinal studies of cannabis exposure during early adolescence in the general population frequently report an increased risk of subsequently developing psychotic symptoms or a psychotic illness. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about the effects of early cannabis exposure on psychosis in homeless and precariously housed adults, who represent a population afflicted with high rates of...
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
September 1, 2020
M. Crocq
This article retraces the story of cannabis from the earliest contacts of humans with the plant to its subsequent global expansion, its medicinal uses, and the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in the 20th century. Cannabis was attested to around 12 000 years ago near the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, and since then, cannabis seeds have accompanied the migration of nomadic peoples....
Journal of Affective Disorders
September 1, 2020
Emily M LaFrance, Nicholas C. Glodosky, Marcel O Bonn-Miller et al.
Many individuals use cannabis to manage symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and evidence indicates that the endocannabinoid system represents a viable target for treating these symptoms. Data from 404 medical cannabis users who self-identified as having PTSD were obtained from Strainprint®, a medical cannabis app that patients use to track changes in symptoms as a function of...
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
September 2020
Paul D. Morrison, Robin Murray
Cannabis can elicit an acute psychotic reaction, and its long-term use is a risk factor for schizophrenia. The main active psychoactive ingredient ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) activates cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors, which are localized to the terminals of glutamate and GABA neurons in the brain. The endogenous cannabinoids are involved in information processing and plasticity at synapses...
Canadian Geriatrics Journal
September 1, 2020
Blanca E. Vacaflor, Olivier Beauchet, G. Eric Jarvis et al.
Background The impact of cannabis use on mental health and cognition in older adults remains unclear. With the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada, physicians will need up-to-date information about the mental and cognitive effects of cannabis use in this specific population. Method A narrative review was conducted to summarize the literature on mental health and cognitive effects of...
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
September 1, 2020
Alison Knopf
Telling the difference between primary psychosis, cannabis intoxication, and cannabis‐induced psychosis is challenging but important, especially now that it's known that almost 50% of cannabis‐induced psychosis precedes primary psychosis. A fictional case study reported in Paediatrics & Child Health makes these challenges come to life. But the purpose of the case study is only as an...