Chunk #15 — Do cannabinoids cause short-lived positive psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in the general population? — Experimental evidence
D’Souza et al. [46] characterized the behavioral and cognitive effects of Δ9-THC (0, 2.5, and 5 mg) in the first double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of healthy controls (n = 22) who were very carefully screened for any significant psychiatric disorder and family history of any DSM Axis I disorder. This study was also the first to assess for a full range of symptoms associated with schizophrenia, i.e., positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms and to measure these symptoms using validated measures. Δ9-THC produced transient positive symptoms (Fig. 1), perceptual alterations, negative symptoms, euphoria, anxiety, deficits in working memory and verbal recall, and the executive control of attention without altering general orientation.
