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The effect of tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol oromucosal spray on cognition: a systematic review

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous studies have shown that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis, can impair cognitive abilities. There is also some evidence that cannabidiol (CBD), the most abundant non-intoxicating constituent of cannabis, can attenuate these effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of THC:CBD oromucosal spray (with equal parts THC and CBD) on cognition compared with control conditions in human studies.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed on four major bibliographic databases. Studies were included in the present review if they evaluated the cognitive effects of THC:CBD oromucosal spray compared with a control condition.

Results

Ten studies were identified (7 on patients with multiple sclerosis, 1 on those with Huntington, and 2 on healthy volunteers) with 510 participants in total. There was considerable heterogeneity among the studies in terms of dose and duration of administration. All studies have used an equal or nearly equal dose of THC and CBD.

Conclusions

Although the results across studies were somewhat inconsistent, most evidence revealed that there is no significant difference between THC:CBD oromucosal spray and control treatments in terms of cognitive outcomes. However, more trials are needed with longer follow-up periods, and dose considerations, particularly comparing lower and higher doses of the spray.

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Data availability

All data in relation to this study are presented in this manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran (Grant ID: 1400/09/17).

Funding

This study was funded by Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (Grant ID: 1400/09/17).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

    Ehsan Motaghi, Masoumeh Ghasemi-Pirbaluti & Masoud Alasvand

  2. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Mohsen Rashidi

  3. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H7, Canada

    Patricia Di Ciano

  4. Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada

    Patricia Di Ciano

  5. Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada

    Patricia Di Ciano

  6. Research Center of Physiology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

    Hooman Bozorgi

  7. The Health of Plant and Livestock Products Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Mohsen Rashidi

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  1. Ehsan Motaghi
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Contributions

EM, MG, MR, and HB designed the study and prepared the data. MA and PD led the drafting of the manuscript to which all authors contributed through editing and revision. All authors had access to the data sets and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hooman Bozorgi.

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Motaghi, E., Ghasemi-Pirbaluti, M., Rashidi, M. et al. The effect of tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol oromucosal spray on cognition: a systematic review. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 79, 371–381 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-023-03454-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-023-03454-y

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