Effects of smoking marijuana on brain perfusion and cognition.
The effects of smoking marijuana on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and cognitive performance were assessed in 12 recreational users in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. PET with [(15)Oxygen]-labeled water ([(15)O]H(2)O) was used to measure rCBF before and after smoking of marijuana and placebo cigarettes, as subjects repeatedly performed an auditory attention task. Smoking marijuana resulted in intoxication, as assessed by a behavioral rating scale, but did not significantly alter mean behavioral performance on the attention task. Heart rate and blood pressure increased dramatically following smoking of marijuana but not placebo cigarettes. However, mean global CBF did not change significantly. Increased rCBF was observed in orbital and mesial frontal lobes, insula, temporal poles, anterior cingulate, as well as in the cerebellum. The increases in rCBF in anterior brain regions were predominantly in "paralimbic" regions and may be related to marijuana's mood-related effects. Reduced rCBF was observed in temporal lobe auditory regions, in visual cortex, and in brain regions that may be part of an attentional network (parietal lobe, frontal lobe and thalamus). These rCBF decreases may be the neural basis of perceptual and cognitive alterations that occur with acute marijuana intoxication. There was no significant rCBF change in the nucleus accumbens or other reward-related brain regions, nor in basal ganglia or hippocampus, which have a high density of cannabinoid receptors.
O'Leary
Daniel S
DS
Mental Health Clinical Research Center, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242 1057, USA. Daniel-oleary@uiowa.edu
Block
Robert I
RI
Koeppel
Julie A
JA
Flaum
Michael
M
Schultz
Susan K
SK
Andreasen
Nancy C
NC
Ponto
Laura Boles
LB
Watkins
G Leonard
GL
Hurtig
Richard R
RR
Hichwa
Richard D
RD
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data