Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol
Archives of General Psychiatry April 1, 2009 Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Paolo Fusar‐poli, Stefan Borgwardt et al. 250 citations
Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive constituent of cannabis, increased psychotic symptoms, anxiety, intoxication, and sedation in healthy men with minimal prior cannabis use, while cannabidiol had no significant effect on these measures. Verbal learning performance was not significantly affected by either drug. THC altered brain activation in the parahippocampal gyrus during encoding and in the ventrostriatum during retrieval, with the ventrostriatal change directly correlating with induced psychotic symptoms. These findings suggest THC modulates mediotemporal and ventrostriatal function, potentially underlying cannabis's effects on verbal learning and psychosis.