Marijuana alters the human cerebellar clock.
The effects of marijuana on brain perfusion and internal timing were assessed using [15O] water PET in occasional and chronic users. Twelve volunteers who smoked marijuana recreationally about once weekly, and 12 volunteers who smoked daily for a number of years performed a self-paced counting task during PET imaging, before and after smoking marijuana and placebo cigarettes. Smoking marijuana increased rCBF in the ventral forebrain and cerebellar cortex in both groups, but resulted in significantly less frontal lobe activation in chronic users. Counting rate increased after smoking marijuana in both groups, as did a behavioral measure of self-paced tapping, and both increases correlated with rCBF in the cerebellum. Smoking marijuana appears to accelerate a cerebellar clock altering self-paced behaviors.
O'Leary
Daniel S
DS
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. daniel-oleary@uiowa.edu
Block
Robert I
RI
Turner
Beth M
BM
Koeppel
Julie
J
Magnotta
Vincent A
VA
Ponto
Laura Boles
LB
Watkins
G Leonard
GL
Hichwa
Richard D
RD
Andreasen
Nancy C
NC
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002188:Cannabis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D003071:Cognition; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000097:blood; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010919:Placebos; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D014705:Verbal Behavior
D010919:Placebos; D013759:Dronabinol