Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03471585

Effects of THC on Emotional Memory Retrieval

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of THC on the retrieval of emotional and neutral memories in healthy young adults. Secondary experiments included the effects of THC on the encoding of object and scene stimuli and a novel working memory task.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Early Phase 1

Primary location

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

About this study

Here, the investigators aimed to investigate the effects of THC (15 mg) on the retrieval of negative, neutral, and positive memories. The study used a placebo-controlled, within-subjects, crossover design with 24 participants. In each experimental arm, participants attend a session to encode stimuli, a second session 48 hours later in which their memories are tested for the stimuli from the first session followed by the encoding of object-scene stimuli and a working memory test, and a third session 48 hours later in which memory for the object-scene stimuli is tested. In the second session, two hours prior to memory testing, THC or placebo is administered. On the first and second sessions subjects complete mood questionnaires.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 4-100 lifetime cannabis occasions

Exclusion criteria

  • Current Axis I DSM-IV disorder, including substance dependence, current use of >5 cigarettes per day, history of psychosis or mania, less than a high school education, lack of English fluency, a body mass index outside 19-33 kg/m2, high blood pressure (>140/90), abnormal electrocardiogram, daily use of any medication other than birth control, pregnancy, or lactating.

Treatment and study plan

THC

Drug

A capsule that contains 15 mg of THC as well as dextrose filler administered 2 hours prior to memory testing.

Other names: Marinol

Placebo oral capsule

Drug

A capsule that contains only dextrose filler administered 2 hours prior to memory testing.

Other names: Dextrose

Primary outcomes

  1. Emotional Memory

    Time frame: Two hours after placebo/THC administration.

    Hit and false alarm rates for negative, neutral, and positive picture stimuli

  2. DRM Memory

    Time frame: Two and a half hours after placebo/THC administration.

    Hit and false alarm rates for the DRM task

  3. Object Memory

    Time frame: 48 hours after placebo/THC administration.

    Hit and false alarm rates for object stimuli on the same or different encoding scenes

Secondary outcomes

  1. Addiction Research Centre Inventory Marijuana Scale

    Time frame: Assessed just prior to placebo/THC administration and then 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 115 minutes after placebo/THC administration.

    The Addiction Research Centre Inventory (ARCI; Martin, Sloan, Sapira, & Jasinski, 1971) measures drug-specific effects on a 56-item true-false questionnaire. For this study, the investigators report the composite score of 12 questions that make up the marijuana scale (Chait, Fischman, & Schuster, 1985).

  2. Visual Analog Scales

    Time frame: Assessed just prior to placebo/THC administration and then 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 115 minutes after placebo/THC administration.

    The Visual Analog Scales (VAS; Folstein & Luria, 1973) is composed of thirteen adjectives used to assess individual dimensions of subjective mood - anxious, stimulated, sedated, elated, insightful, sociable, confident, lonely, playful, dizzy, loving, friendly, and restless, rated on a sliding scale from 'not at all' to 'extremely.'

  3. Drug Effects Questionnaire

    Time frame: Assessed just prior to placebo/THC administration and then 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 115 minutes after placebo/THC administration.

    The Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ; Morean et al., 2013) is composed of five questions concerning current drug effects - how much participants feel a drug effect, like the effect, dislike the effect, feel high, and want more of the drug, rated on a sliding scale from 'not at all/neutral' to 'very much.'

  4. Physiological Measure 1

    Time frame: Assessed just prior to placebo/THC administration and then 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 115 minutes after placebo/THC administration.

    Heart rate

  5. Physiological Measure 2

    Time frame: Assessed just prior to placebo/THC administration and then 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 115 minutes after placebo/THC administration.

    Blood pressure

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Chicago

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol on the Retrieval of Emotional Memories

Acronym: TARE

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Mar 20, 2018
Registry last updated
May 30, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.