Ramaekers Johannes G, Theunissen Eef L, van Ruitenbeek Peter, Mason Natasha L
Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Apr 14;13:870750. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.870750. eCollection 2022.
Currently, the assessment of the neurobehavioral consequences of repeated cannabis use is restricted to studies in which brain function of chronic cannabis users is compared to that of non-cannabis using controls. The assumption of such studies is that changes in brain function of chronic users are caused by repeated and prolonged exposure to acute cannabis intoxication. However, differences in brain function between chronic cannabis users and non-users might also arise from confounding factors such as polydrug use, alcohol use, withdrawal, economic status, or lifestyle conditions. We propose a methodology that highlights the relevance of acute Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) dosing studies for a direct assessment of neuroadaptations in chronic cannabis users. The approach includes quantification of neurochemical, receptor, and functional brain network changes in response to an acute cannabis challenge, as well as stratification of cannabis using groups ranging from occasional to cannabis-dependent individuals. The methodology allows for an evaluation of THC induced neuroadaptive and neurocognitive changes across cannabis use history, that can inform neurobiological models on reward driven, compulsive cannabis use.
目前，对反复使用大麻的神经行为后果的评估仅限于将慢性大麻使用者的脑功能与不使用大麻的对照组进行比较的研究。此类研究的假设是，慢性使用者脑功能的变化是由反复和长期接触急性大麻中毒引起的。然而，慢性大麻使用者与非使用者之间脑功能的差异也可能源于多药使用、酒精使用、戒断、经济状况或生活方式等混杂因素。我们提出了一种方法，该方法突出了急性Δ-四氢大麻酚（THC）给药研究对于直接评估慢性大麻使用者神经适应性的相关性。该方法包括量化对急性大麻刺激的神经化学、受体和功能性脑网络变化，以及对从偶尔使用大麻到依赖大麻的个体的大麻使用群体进行分层。该方法能够评估THC在不同大麻使用历史中引起的神经适应性和神经认知变化，这可以为关于奖励驱动的强迫性大麻使用的神经生物学模型提供信息。
