Journal article
Opposite effects of δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on human brain function and psychopathology
S Bhattacharyya, PD Morrison, P Fusar-Poli, R Martin-Santos, S Borgwardt, T Winton-Brown, C Nosarti, CM O'Carroll, M Seal, P Allen, MA Mehta, JM Stone, N Tunstall, V Giampietro, S Kapur, RM Murray, AW Zuardi, JA Crippa, Z Atakan, PK McGuire
Neuropsychopharmacology | NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP | Published : 2010
DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.184
Abstract
Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD), the two main ingredients of the Cannabis sativa plant have distinct symptomatic and behavioral effects. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in healthy volunteers to examine whether Δ-9-THC and CBD had opposite effects on regional brain function. We then assessed whether pretreatment with CBD can prevent the acute psychotic symptoms induced by Δ-9-THC. Fifteen healthy men with minimal earlier exposure to cannabis were scanned while performing a verbal memory task, a response inhibition task, a sensory processing task, and when viewing fearful faces. Subjects were scanned on three occasions, each preceded by oral admini..
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Awarded by Psychiatry Research Trust
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by a grant from the Psychiatry Research Trust, UK. Sagnik Bhattacharyya is supported by a Joint MRC/Priory Clinical research training fellowship from the Medical Research Council, UK. Paul Morrison is supported by the Medical Research Council, UK, the Biomedial Research Centre and the Beckley Foundation. Jose A Crippa is the recipient of a Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq, Brazil) Productivity fellowship. We thank Glynis Ivin for help with the blinding procedure, storage and dispensing of the drugs. We thank Dr Katya Rubia and Dr Simon Surguladze for allowing us to use the fearful faces and the response inhibition paradigms, respectively.