Acute effects of cannabis on speech illusions and psychotic-like symptoms: two studies testing the moderating effects of cannabidiol and adolescence

TY - JOUR

T1 - Acute effects of cannabis on speech illusions and psychotic-like symptoms

T2 - two studies testing the moderating effects of cannabidiol and adolescence

AU - Mokrysz, Claire

AU - Shaban, Natacha D. C.

AU - Freeman, Tom P.

AU - Lawn, Will

AU - Pope, Rebecca A.

AU - Hindocha, Chandni

AU - Freeman, Abigail

AU - Wall, Matthew B.

AU - Bloomfield, Michael A. P.

AU - Morgan, Celia J. A.

AU - Nutt, David J.

AU - Curran, H. Valerie

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements. Study 1 was funded by Drug Science, Channel 4 Publisher Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.

PY - 2021/9

Y1 - 2021/9

N2 - Background Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence heightens such effects (study 2). Methods Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies, assessing speech illusion in a white noise task, and psychotic-like symptoms on the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). Study 1 compared effects of Cann-CBD (cannabis containing Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and negligible levels of CBD) with Cann+CBD (cannabis containing THC and CBD) in 17 adults. Study 2 compared effects of Cann-CBD in 20 adolescents and 20 adults. All participants were healthy individuals who currently used cannabis. Results In study 1, relative to placebo, both Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD increased PSI scores but not speech illusion. No differences between Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD emerged. In study 2, relative to placebo, Cann-CBD increased PSI scores and incidence of speech illusion, with the odds of experiencing speech illusion 3.1 (95% CIs 1.3-7.2) times higher after Cann-CBD. No age group differences were found for speech illusion, but adults showed heightened effects on the PSI. Conclusions Inhalation of cannabis reliably increases psychotic-like symptoms in healthy cannabis users and may increase the incidence of speech illusion. CBD did not influence psychotic-like effects of cannabis. Adolescents may be less vulnerable to acute psychotic-like effects of cannabis than adults.

AB - Background Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence heightens such effects (study 2). Methods Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies, assessing speech illusion in a white noise task, and psychotic-like symptoms on the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). Study 1 compared effects of Cann-CBD (cannabis containing Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and negligible levels of CBD) with Cann+CBD (cannabis containing THC and CBD) in 17 adults. Study 2 compared effects of Cann-CBD in 20 adolescents and 20 adults. All participants were healthy individuals who currently used cannabis. Results In study 1, relative to placebo, both Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD increased PSI scores but not speech illusion. No differences between Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD emerged. In study 2, relative to placebo, Cann-CBD increased PSI scores and incidence of speech illusion, with the odds of experiencing speech illusion 3.1 (95% CIs 1.3-7.2) times higher after Cann-CBD. No age group differences were found for speech illusion, but adults showed heightened effects on the PSI. Conclusions Inhalation of cannabis reliably increases psychotic-like symptoms in healthy cannabis users and may increase the incidence of speech illusion. CBD did not influence psychotic-like effects of cannabis. Adolescents may be less vulnerable to acute psychotic-like effects of cannabis than adults.

KW - acute effects

KW - adolescence

KW - cannabidiol

KW - cannabis

KW - CBD

KW - psychosis

KW - psychotic-like

KW - speech illusion

KW - vulnerability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85085094171&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S0033291720001038

DO - 10.1017/S0033291720001038

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85085094171

SN - 0033-2917

VL - 51

SP - 2134

EP - 2142

JO - Psychological Medicine

JF - Psychological Medicine

IS - 12

ER -