Cambridge University Press eBooks
October 27, 2011
Stanley Zammit, Louise Arseneault, Robin Murray
3 citations
This chapter updates our knowledge of the short- and long-term effects of cannabis on cognition based on integrating evidence from the most recent literature on this topic. Numerous studies have examined the acute effects of cannabis on human cognition. Cannabis induces perceptual distortions and impairs memory and concentration during acute intoxication. Studies of long-term and heavy cannabis...
Behavioural Brain Research
October 10, 2011
A Galanopoulos, Alexia Polissidis, Z Papadopoulou-Daifoti et al.
Endocannabinoids are involved in excitatory neurotransmission initiated by glutamate and aspartate. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the cannabinoid agonists, Δ(9)-THC and WIN55,212-2, on tissue (prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus) levels of glutamate and aspartate in two rat phenotypes, high responders...
Psychopharmacology
October 5, 2011
Eef L. Theunissen, Gerold F. Kauert, Stefan W. Toennes et al.
82 citations
RATIONALE: Experienced cannabis users demonstrate tolerance to some of the impairing acute effects of cannabis. OBJECTIVES: The present study investigates whether event-related potentials (ERPs) differ between occasional and heavy cannabis users after acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration, as a result of tolerance. METHODS: Twelve occasional and 12 heavy cannabis users participated...
Psychopharmacology
October 2011
Laura E Wise, Stephen A Varvel, Dana E Selley et al.
Cannabis users display a constellation of withdrawal symptoms upon drug discontinuation, including sleep disturbances, irritability, and possibly memory deficits. In cannabinoid-dependent rodents, the CB(1) antagonist rimonabant precipitates somatic withdrawal and enhances forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in cerebellum, an effect opposite that of acutely administered...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
October 2011
David A. Gorelick, Robert S. Goodwin, Eugene Schwilke et al.
Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists have potential therapeutic benefits, but antagonist-elicited cannabis withdrawal has not been reported in humans. Ten male daily cannabis smokers received 8 days of increasingly frequent 20-mg oral Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) dosages (40-120 mg/d) around-the-clock to standardize cannabis dependence while residing on a closed research unit. On the ninth...
Psychological Medicine
October 1, 2011
Rebecca Kuepper, Jim van Os, Roselind Lieb et al.
BackgroundCannabis use is considered a component cause of psychotic illness, interacting with genetic and other environmental risk factors. Little is known, however, about these putative interactions. The present study investigated whether an urban environment plays a role in moderating the effects of adolescent cannabis use on psychosis risk.MethodProspective data (n=1923, aged 14–24 years at...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
September 14, 2011
J. Grant, S. Chamberlain, Liana R. N. Schreiber et al.
Background Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance and has been associated with cognitive impairment. It is unclear whether such impairment can occur in the absence of potential confounding influences of co-morbid axis-I disorders and use of other illicit substances. Method Young adult volunteers (18–29 years) were recruited from the general community on the basis of having no axis-I...
The British Journal of Psychiatry
September 9, 2011
Killian A. Welch, Andrew C. Stanfield, Andrew Mark McIntosh et al.
43 citations
BACKGROUND: No longitudinal study has yet examined the association between substance use and brain volume changes in a population at high risk of schizophrenia. AIMS: To examine the effects of cannabis on longitudinal thalamus and amygdala-hippocampal complex volumes within a population at high risk of schizophrenia. METHOD: Magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from individuals at...
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
September 7, 2011
Philip N. Murphy, Philip G. Erwin, L. Maciver et al.
9 citations
This study aimed to examine the relationship between the consumption of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)) and cannabis, and performance on the random letter generation task which generates dependent variables drawing upon executive inhibition and access to semantic long-term memory (LTM). The participant group was a between-participant independent variable with users of both...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
September 2, 2011
Paul R A Stokes, Alice Egerton, Ben Watson et al.
62 citations
Cannabis use in adolescence is emerging as a risk factor for the development of psychosis. In animal studies, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, modulates striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission. Alterations in human striatal dopaminergic function have also been reported both in psychosis and in stimulant use. We sought to examine whether striatal dopamine...