Nabilone produces marked impairments to cognitive function and changes in subjective state in healthy volunteers

• Published in: Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford) 2010-11, Vol.24 (11), p.1659-1669
• Main Authors: Wesnes, KA, Annas, P, Edgar, CJ, Deeprose, C, Karlsten, R, Philipp, A, Kalliomäki, J, Segerdahl, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affect - drug effects; Alertness; Attention - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Cannabinoids; Capsaicin - administration & dosage; Cognition - drug effects; Cognitive ability; Data processing; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Dronabinol - adverse effects; Dronabinol - analogs & derivatives; Dronabinol - pharmacology; Drugs; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Memory, Short-Term - drug effects; Mental Recall - drug effects; Mood; Neuropharmacology; Pain - drug therapy; Perception - drug effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychomotor Performance - drug effects; Psychopharmacology; Reaction Time - drug effects; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 - agonists; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 - drug effects; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 - physiology; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 - agonists; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 - drug effects; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 - physiology; Sensory System Agents - administration & dosage; Side effects; Studies
• ISSN: 0269-8811; 1461-7285; 1461-7285
• DOI: 10.1177/0269881109105900

This was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover study of the acute cognitive and subjective effects of nabilone 1—3 mg in healthy male volunteers. The Cognitive Drug Research computerised system (CDR system) was used to assess changes in attention, working and episodic memory. In addition, a number of self-ratings were conducted including those of mood, alertness and perceived drug effects. Impairments to attention, working and episodic memory and self-ratings of alertness were evident. Volunteers also experienced a number of subjective drug effects. These data demonstrate that acute doses of nabilone in the range 1—3 mg produce clear cognitive and subjective effects in healthy volunteers, and therefore they may be used as reference data in the future study of peripherally acting cannabinoids believed to be free from such effects.