Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Introduction: Using nanoparticle (NP) drugs can have better effects on the target tissue in various diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the degenerative neurological diseases that due to its high prevalence, requires the use of more appropriate treatments. Therefore, the aim of this study was consideration of the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) coated by nano-chitosan on learning and memory, hippocampal cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB2) levels, and amyloid plaques in an AD rat model. Material and Methods: Thirty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 7 in each):...

Abstract Background: Cannabidiol (CBD), a major cannabinoid of Cannabis sativa, is widely consumed in prescription and non-prescription products. While CBD is generally considered ‘non-intoxicating’, its effects on safety-sensitive tasks are still under scrutiny. Aim: We investigated the effects of CBD on driving performance. Methods: Healthy adults (n = 17) completed four treatment sessions involving the oral administration of a placebo, or 15, 300 or 1500 mg CBD in a randomised, double-blind, crossover design. Simulated driving performance was assessed between ~45–75 and ~210–240 min post-treatment (Drives 1 and 2) using a two-part scenario with ‘standard’ and ‘car following’ (CF) components. The primary outcome was standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP),...

Abstract Cannabis is still the most widely used illicit drug around the world. While its use has always been prevalent among adolescents, recent evidence suggests that its consumption is also increasing among other population groups, such as pregnant women and aged people. Given the known impact of cannabis on brain development and behavior, it is important to dissect the possible long-term impact of its use across different age groups, especially on measures of cognitive performance. Animal models of cannabinoid exposure have represented a fundamental tool to characterize the long-lasting consequences of cannabinoids on cognitive performance and helped to identify possible factors that could modulate...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract The physiological and pathophysiological roles of the central nervous endogenous cannabinoid system are not completely understood, but still represent a challenge in basic neurobiological, cognitive, and psychiatric research. The system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Binocular depth inversion, an illusion of visual perception, provides a model of impaired perception during psychotic states. Using this model the effects of nabilone, a psychoactive synthetic 9-trans-ketocannabinoid, and of cannabidiol, the main natural component of herbal cannabis, and a combined application of both substances on binocular depth inversion and behavioural states were investigated in nine healthy male volunteers. The time course...

Abstract It has been reported that cannabis consumption affects the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a structure with a central role in mediating the empathic response. In this study, we compared psychometric scores of empathy subscales, between a group of regular cannabis users (85, users) and a group of non-consumers (51, controls). We found that users have a greater Emotional Comprehension, a cognitive empathy trait involving the understanding of the “other” emotional state. Resting state functional MRI in a smaller sample (users = 46, controls = 34) allowed to identify greater functional connectivity (FC) of the ACC with the left somatomotor cortex (SMC), in users when compared to controls....

Abstract Background and objectives Medical cannabis use is increasing in Australia and other jurisdictions, yet little is known about the effects of medical cannabis on cognitive function. Findings from studies of non-medical (‘recreational’) cannabis may not be applicable to patients using prescribed medical cannabis to manage a health condition. Methods In this semi-naturalistic, open-label trial, patients with various health conditions attended a single laboratory session in which they self-administered a standard dose of prescribed medical cannabis as per instructions on the pharmacy label. We assessed cognitive performance using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and Druid application (app) prior to and following (CANTAB:...

Abstract Cannabis is the most widely used recreational drug in the United States and regular use has been linked to deficits in attention and memory. However, the effects of regular use on motor control are less understood, with some studies showing deficits and others indicating normal performance. Eighteen users and 23 nonusers performed a motor sequencing task during high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG). The MEG data was transformed into the time-frequency domain and beta responses (16–24 Hz) during motor planning and execution phases were imaged separately using a beamformer approach. Whole-brain maps were examined for group (cannabis user/nonuser) and time window (planning/execution) effects. As expected, there were...

Please use this link to access this publication: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-16721-001 Abstract Objective: We examined the extent to which behavioral ratings of children’s executive function (EF) in early adolescence predicted adolescents’ cannabis use, and whether associations were independent of parents’ cannabis and alcohol use and adolescents’ alcohol use. Method: Participants were 198 offspring (44% boys) of 127 mothers and 106 fathers. Parents and teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) at ages 11–14 years. Youth were interviewed repeatedly from ages 14 to 20 years regarding frequency of cannabis and alcohol use. Two-level models regressed dichotomous cannabis outcomes (annual, weekly, or daily use) on age...

Please use this link to access this publication: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-00077-001 Abstract While previous research has indicated that alcohol use is associated with difficulties in emotion processing and socioemotional functioning, less is known about the effects of cannabis on these functions. The purpose of this review article is to provide the current state of knowledge on the effects of cannabis on emotion processing with regard to behavioral, physiological, and neural responses. This narrative review synthesizes previous research investigating the effects of cannabis on emotion processing across studies that have utilized a number of experimental approaches to determine both the acute and chronic effects of cannabis on emotion...

Abstract Time perception received growing interest in psychiatry for its psychopathological implications. Cannabis use can cause a subjective experience of temporal perception alteration and increases the risk of emergence of mental illnesses such as psychotic and mood disorders. In this framework, we systematically reviewed the findings regarding the clinical, cognitive, and neurobiological correlates of time alterations due to cannabis consumption. According to preclinical results, cannabis exerts a dose-dependent time overestimation, associated with motor inhibition and circadian alterations. Clinical results reported that cannabis impair time estimation and time reproduction abilities, causing subjective temporal fragmentation and depersonalization symptoms. The alteration of timing mediated by cannabis use might depend on a dopaminergic indirect action and...