Acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and their combination on facial emotion recognition: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in cannabis users

Journal article


Hindocha, Chandni, Freeman, Tom P., Schafer, Grainne, Gardener, Chelsea, Das, Ravi K., Morgan, Celia J. A. and Curran, H. Valerie. (2015). Acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and their combination on facial emotion recognition: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in cannabis users. European Neuropsychopharmacology. 25(3), pp. 325 - 334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.11.014
AuthorsHindocha, Chandni, Freeman, Tom P., Schafer, Grainne, Gardener, Chelsea, Das, Ravi K., Morgan, Celia J. A. and Curran, H. Valerie
Abstract

Acute administration of the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis, Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), impairs human facial affect recognition, implicating the endocannabinoid system in emotional processing. Another main constituent of cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), has seemingly opposite functional effects on the brain. This study aimed to determine the effects of THC and CBD, both alone and in combination on emotional facial affect recognition. 48 volunteers, selected for high and low frequency of cannabis use and schizotypy, were administered, THC (8 mg), CBD (16 mg), THC+CBD (8 mg+16 mg) and placebo, by inhalation, in a 4-way, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. They completed an emotional facial affect recognition task including fearful, angry, happy, sad, surprise and disgust faces varying in intensity from 20% to 100%. A visual analogue scale (VAS) of feeling ‘stoned’ was also completed. In comparison to placebo, CBD improved emotional facial affect recognition at 60% emotional intensity; THC was detrimental to the recognition of ambiguous faces of 40% intensity. The combination of THC+CBD produced no impairment. Relative to placebo, both THC alone and combined THC+CBD equally increased feelings of being ‘stoned’. CBD did not influence feelings of ‘stoned’. No effects of frequency of use or schizotypy were found. In conclusion, CBD improves recognition of emotional facial affect and attenuates the impairment induced by THC. This is the first human study examining the effects of different cannabinoids on emotional processing. It provides preliminary evidence that different pharmacological agents acting upon the endocannabinoid system can both improve and impair recognition of emotional faces.

Keywordsendocannabinoid system; emotional processing; schizotypy; Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); cannabidiol (CBD)
Year2015
JournalEuropean Neuropsychopharmacology
Journal citation25 (3), pp. 325 - 334
PublisherElsevier
ISSN0924-977X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.11.014
Scopus EID2-s2.0-84925945199
Open accessOpen access
Page range325 - 334
Publisher's version
License
Place of publicationNetherlands
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8877q/acute-effects-of-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-cannabidiol-and-their-combination-on-facial-emotion-recognition-a-randomised-double-blind-placebo-controlled-study-in-cannabis-users

Download files

  • 49
    total views
  • 151
    total downloads
  • 3
    views this month
  • 7
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as