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Azarfarin M, Ghadiri T, Dadkhah M, Sahab-Negah S. The interaction between cannabinoids and long-term synaptic plasticity: A survey on memory formation and underlying mechanisms. Cell Biochem Funct 2024; 42:e4100. [PMID: 39090824 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.4100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), is an essential phenomenon in memory formation as well as maintenance along with many other cognitive functions, such as those needed for coping with external stimuli. Synaptic plasticity consists of gradual changes in the biochemistry and morphology of pre- and postsynaptic neurons, particularly in the hippocampus. Consuming marijuana as a primary source of exocannabinoids immediately impairs attention and working memory-related tasks. Evidence regarding the effects of cannabinoids on LTP and memory is contradictory. While cannabinoids can affect a variety of specific cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) and nonspecific receptors throughout the body and brain, they exert miscellaneous systemic and local cerebral effects. Given the increasing use of cannabis, mainly among the young population, plus its potential adverse long-term effects on learning and memory processes, it could be a future global health challenge. Indeed, the impact of cannabinoids on memory is multifactorial and depends on the dosage, timing, formula, and route of consumption, plus the background complex interaction of the endocannabinoids system with other cerebral networks. Herein, we review how exogenously administrated organic cannabinoids, CBRs agonists or antagonists, and endocannabinoids can affect LTP and synaptic plasticity through various receptors in interaction with other cerebral pathways and primary neurotransmitters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Azarfarin
- Department of Neuroscience,Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Tahereh Ghadiri
- Department of Neuroscience,Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Masoomeh Dadkhah
- Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sajad Sahab-Negah
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Ayoub SM, Holloway BM, Miranda AH, Roberts BZ, Young JW, Minassian A, Ellis RJ. The Impact of Cannabis Use on Cognition in People with HIV: Evidence of Function-Dependent Effects and Mechanisms from Clinical and Preclinical Studies. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 2024; 21:87-115. [PMID: 38602558 PMCID: PMC11129923 DOI: 10.1007/s11904-024-00698-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Cannabis may have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in people with HIV (PWH); however, given this population's high burden of persisting neurocognitive impairment (NCI), clinicians are concerned they may be particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of cannabis on cognition. Here, we present a systematic scoping review of clinical and preclinical studies evaluating the effects of cannabinoid exposure on cognition in HIV. RECENT FINDINGS Results revealed little evidence to support a harmful impact of cannabis use on cognition in HIV, with few eligible preclinical data existing. Furthermore, the beneficial/harmful effects of cannabis use observed on cognition were function-dependent and confounded by several factors (e.g., age, frequency of use). Results are discussed alongside potential mechanisms of cannabis effects on cognition in HIV (e.g., anti-inflammatory), and considerations are outlined for screening PWH that may benefit from cannabis interventions. We further highlight the value of accelerating research discoveries in this area by utilizing translatable cross-species tasks to facilitate comparisons across human and animal work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Ayoub
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA.
| | - Breanna M Holloway
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Alannah H Miranda
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Benjamin Z Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Arpi Minassian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Administration San Diego HealthCare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ronald J Ellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Yadav-Samudrala BJ, Gorman BL, Dodson H, Ramineni S, Wallace ED, Peace MR, Poklis JL, Jiang W, Fitting S. Effects of acute Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on behavior and the endocannabinoid system in HIV-1 Tat transgenic female and male mice. Brain Res 2024; 1822:148638. [PMID: 37858856 PMCID: PMC10873064 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis use is highly prevalent especially among people living with HIV (PLWH). Activation of the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective endocannabinoid system by phytocannabinoids, i.e. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has been proposed to reduce HIV symptoms. However, THC's effects on HIV-related memory deficits are unclear. Using HIV-1 Tat transgenic mice, the current study investigates acute THC effects on various behavioral outcomes and the endocannabinoid system. For the rodent tetrad model, THC doses (1, 3, 10 mg/kg) induced known antinociceptive effects, with Tat induction increasing antinociceptive THC effects at 3 and 10 mg/kg doses. Only minor or no effects were noted for acute THC on body temperature, locomotor activity, and coordination. Increased anxiety-like behavior was found for females compared to males, but acute THC had no effect on anxiety. Object recognition memory was diminished by acute THC in Tat(-) females but not Tat(+) females, without affecting males. The endocannabinoid system and related lipids were not affected by acute THC, except for THC-induced decreases in CB1R protein expression levels in the spinal cord of Tat(-) mice. Female sex and Tat induction was associated with elevated 2-AG, AEA, AA, CB1R, CB2R, FAAH and/or MAGL expression in various brain regions. Further, AEA levels in the prefrontal cortex of Tat(+) females were negatively associated with object recognition memory. Overall, findings indicate that acute THC exerts differential effects on antinociception and memory, dependent on sex and HIV Tat expression, potentially in relation to an altered endocannabinoid system, which may be of relevance in view of potential cannabis-based treatment options for PLWH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barkha J Yadav-Samudrala
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Benjamin L Gorman
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Hailey Dodson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Shreya Ramineni
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - E Diane Wallace
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michelle R Peace
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Justin L Poklis
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Sylvia Fitting
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Stith SS, Li X, Brockelman F, Keeling K, Hall B, Vigil JM. Understanding feeling "high" and its role in medical cannabis patient outcomes. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1135453. [PMID: 37292156 PMCID: PMC10244544 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1135453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: We measure for the first time the associations between subjective patient experiences of feeling "high" and treatment outcomes during real-time Cannabis flower consumption sessions. Methods: Our study uses data from the mobile health app, Releaf App™, through which 1,882 people tracked the effects of Cannabis flower on a multitude of health conditions during 16,480 medical cannabis self-administration sessions recorded between 6/5/2016 and 3/11/2021. Session-level reported information included plant phenotypes, modes of administration, potencies, baseline and post-administration symptom intensity levels, total dose used, and real-time side effect experiences. Results: Patients reported feeling high in 49% of cannabis treatment sessions. Using individual patient-level fixed effects regression models and controlling for plant phenotype, consumption mode, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) potencies, dose, and starting symptom level, our results show that, as compared to sessions in which individuals did not report feeling high, reporting feeling high was associated with a 7.7% decrease in symptom severity from a mean reduction of -3.82 on a 0 to 10 analog scale (coefficient = -0.295, p < 0.001) with evidence of a 14.4 percentage point increase (p < 0.001) in negative side effect reporting and a 4.4 percentage point (p < 0.01) increase in positive side effect reporting. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels and dose were the strongest statistical predictors of reporting feeling high, while the use of a vaporizer was the strongest inhibitor of feeling high. In symptom-specific models, the association between feeling high and symptom relief remained for people treating pain (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.01) and fatigue (p < 0.01), but was insignificant, though still negative, for people treating insomnia. Although gender and pre-app cannabis experience did not appear to affect the relationship between high and symptom relief, the relationship was larger in magnitude and more statistically significant among patients aged 40 or less. Discussion: The study results suggest clinicians and policymakers should be aware that feeling high is associated with improved symptom relief but increased negative side effects, and factors such as mode of consumption, product potency, and dose can be used to adjust treatment outcomes for the individual patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S. Stith
- Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Xiaoxue Li
- Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | | | | | - Branden Hall
- MoreBetter, Ltd., Hyattsville, MD, United States
| | - Jacob M. Vigil
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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Effect of four-week cannabidiol treatment on cognitive function: secondary outcomes from a randomised clinical trial for the treatment of cannabis use disorder. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:337-346. [PMID: 36598543 PMCID: PMC9879826 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06303-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Chronic cannabis use is associated with impaired cognitive function. Evidence indicates cannabidiol (CBD) might be beneficial for treating cannabis use disorder. CBD may also have pro-cognitive effects; however, its effect on cognition in people with cannabis use disorder is currently unclear. OBJECTIVES We aimed to assess whether a 4-week CBD treatment impacted cognitive function. We hypothesised that CBD treatment would improve cognition from baseline to week 4, compared to placebo. METHODS Cognition was assessed as a secondary outcome in a phase 2a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group and placebo-controlled clinical trial of 4-week daily 200 mg, 400 mg and 800 mg CBD for the treatment of cannabis use disorder. Participants had moderate or severe DSM-5 cannabis use disorder and intended to quit cannabis use. Our pre-registered primary cognitive outcome was delayed prose recall. Secondary cognitive outcomes were immediate prose recall, stop signal reaction time, trail-making task performance, verbal fluency and digit span. RESULTS Seventy participants were randomly assigned to placebo (n = 23), 400 mg CBD (n = 24) and 800 mg CBD (n = 23). A 200 mg group was eliminated from the trial because it was an inefficacious dose at interim analysis (n = 12) and was not analysed here. For the primary cognitive outcome, there was no effect of CBD compared to placebo, evidenced by a lack of dose-by-time interaction at 400 mg (0.46, 95%CIs: - 1.41, 2.54) and 800 mg (0.89, 95%CIs: - 0.99, 2.81). There was no effect of CBD compared to placebo on secondary cognitive outcomes, except backwards digit span which increased following 800 mg CBD (0.30, 95%CIs: 0.02, 0.58). CONCLUSIONS In this clinical trial for cannabis use disorder, CBD did not influence delayed verbal memory. CBD did not have broad cognitive effects but 800 mg daily treatment may improve working memory manipulation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02044809) and the EU Clinical Trials Register (2013-000,361-36).
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Karoly HC, Prince MA, Emery NN, Smith EE, Piercey CJ, Conner BT. Protocol for a mobile laboratory study of co-administration of cannabis concentrates with a standard alcohol dose in humans. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277123. [PMID: 36327298 PMCID: PMC9632794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cannabis is commonly used among people who drink alcohol, yet evidence on acute effects of co-use is conflicting. Two important variables that may influence the effects of cannabis and alcohol are cannabinoid content (i.e., the ratio of cannabidiol [CBD] and 9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) as well as the order of use (i.e., cannabis before alcohol vs. alcohol before cannabis). Research is mixed regarding the acute imapct of cannabis on alcohol consumption and intoxication, with some studies suggesting additive effects of alcohol and cannabis, and others demonstrating negligible effects of combining these substances. Further complicating this, high-THC-content cannabis concentrates are increasingly popular on the legal-market, but to our knowledge, no studies have explored concentrate and alcohol co-use. In addition to cannabinoid content, order of use may influence intoxication and other acute effects, but is also understudied. Co-use studies typically administer a fixed dose of alcohol before cannabis, and there is a lack of data on the acute effects of cannabis before alcohol. Thus, there is a need for experimental co-use studies exploring the impact of cannabinoid content (particularly of highly potent cannabis concentrates) and order effects on intoxication. This study uses a federally-compliant mobile laboratory procedure to explore the effects of co-administration of legal-market cannabis concentrates with a moderate alcohol dose (.8g/kg) in a sample of community participants who regularly use alcohol and cannabis. The study will also explore alcohol and cannabis order effects (cannabis before alcohol vs. alcohol before cannabis). Outcomes are objective intoxication (measured using blood cannabinoid level, heart rate, psychomotor performance and breath alcohol level [BrAC]) and subjective intoxication (assessed via self-report measures). Overall, this study may influence harm-reduction recommendations for individuals who drink alcohol and use cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hollis C. Karoly
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Mark A. Prince
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Noah N. Emery
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Emma E. Smith
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Cianna J. Piercey
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Bradley T. Conner
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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