The Relationship Between Cannabinoids and Neural Oscillations: How Cannabis Disrupts Sensation, Perception, and Cognition
Clinical EEG and Neuroscience November 25, 2022 Shariful A. Syed, Ashley M. Schnakenberg Martin, J. Cortes-Briones et al.
Disruptions in neural oscillations, particularly in the gamma and theta frequency ranges, are a key mechanism by which THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, perturbs brain function. Clinical EEG studies show that both chronic and acute cannabinoid exposure disrupts these neural oscillations in humans. The authors propose a hypothetical framework where endocannabinoids modulate neural synchrony at the network level, altering the fine tuning of oscillations and the inhibitory/excitatory balance of neural circuits. These oscillatory disruptions may relate to cannabis-induced changes in sensation, perception, and cognition, with implications for disorders such as schizophrenia.