THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE CANNABIS WITH AND WITHOUT CANNABIDIOL ON NEURAL REWARD ANTICIPATION IN ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology February 1, 2025 Martine Skumlien, Tom P. Freeman, Daniel L. Hall et al.
In weekly cannabis users, cannabis suppresses the brain's anticipatory reward response to money, and cannabidiol (CBD) does not moderate this effect. The adolescent reward circuitry is not differentially sensitive to the acute effects of cannabis on reward anticipation. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with 23 adults (26-29 years) and 24 adolescents (16-17 years) used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity during a monetary reward anticipation task after inhaling cannabis with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), THC plus CBD, or placebo. THC acutely reduced reward anticipation activity in the ventral striatum and right insula compared with placebo. THC plus CBD also reduced activity in these regions. The effects were the same in adolescents and adults.