Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dose effects of smoked marihuana on human cognitive and motor functions

  • Published:
Psychopharmacologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Graded doses of marihuana were administered to five adults in a longitudinal repeated-measurements design. Speed of response was the basic parameter measured across tests of increasing cognitive involvement. Marihuana produced significant dose-response effects of impaired performance in all test scores. However, single automatic motor abilities demonstrated greater sensitivity than tests of greater complexity. Evidence is presented for tolerance development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abel, E. L.: Marihuana and memory: acquisition or retrieval. Science 173, 1038–1040 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bech, P., Rafaelsen, L., Rafaelsen, O. J.: Cannabis and alcohol: Effects on estimation of time and distance. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 32, 373–381 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Borg, J.: Dose of smoked cannabis upon human cognitive and motor functions. Published doctoral dissertation, Yeshiva University, New York (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, D. F., Myers, S. A., Domino, E. F., Merriam, P. E: Auditory and visual threshold effects of marihuana in man. Percept. Motor Skills 29, 755–759 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cappell, H., Kuchar, E., Webster, C. D.: Some correlates of marihuana self-administration in man: A study of titration of intake as a function of drug potency. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 29, 177–184 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cappell, H., Webster, C. D., Herring, B. S., Ginsberg, R.: Alcohol and marihuana; a comparison of effects on a temporally controlled operant in humans. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 182, 195–203 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. D., Nakashima, E. N.: Experimental studies of marihuana. Amer. J. Psychiat. 125, 379–384 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. D., Hughes, R., Nakashima, E. N.: Behavioral effect of marihuana. Arch. gen. Psychiat. 23, 193–198 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Darley, C. F., Tinklenberg, J. R., Hollister, L. E., Atkinson, R. C.: Marihuana and retrieval from short-term memory. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 29, 231–238 (1973a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Darley, C. F., Tinklenberg, J. R., Roth, W. T., Hollister, L. E., Atkinson, R. C.: Influence of marihuana on storage and retrieval processes in memory. Memory and Cognition 1, 196–200 (1973b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dittrich, A., BÄttig, K., von Zeppelin, I.: Effects of (−)δ9-Trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (δ9-THC) on memory, attention and subjective state. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 33, 369–376 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Domino, E. F., Rennick, P., Pearl, J. H.: Dose-effect relations of marihuana smoking on various physiological parameters in experienced male users. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 15, 514–520 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dornbush, R. L., Fink, M., Freedman, A. M.: Marihuana memory and perception. Amer. J. Psychiat. 128, 1265–1267 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Galanter, M., Wyatt, R. J., Lemberger, L., Weingartner, H., Vaughan, T. B., Roth, W. T.: Effect on humans of δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol administered by smoking. Science 176, 934–936 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, F.: Psychological aspects. Intellectual functioning. In: Mayor's committee on marihuana. The marihuana problem in the city of New York, pp. 81–106. Lancaster, Pa.: Jacques Cattell Press 1944

    Google Scholar 

  • Head, H.: Aphasia. Cambridge: University Press 1926

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollister, L. E.: Marihuana in man: three years later. Science 172, 21–29 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollister, L. E., Gillespie, H. K.: Marihuana, ethanol and dextroamphetamine. Arch. gen. Psychiat. 23, 199–203 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, C. L.: Influence of tobacco smoking on mental and motor efficiency. Psych. Monographs No. 3, 33 (1924)

    Google Scholar 

  • Isbell, H., Gorodetzsky, C. W., Jasinski, D., Claussen, U., Spulak, F., Korte, F.: Effects of (−)δ9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol in man. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 11, 184–188 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R. T.: Tetrahydrocannabinol and the marihuana induced social “high”, or the effects of the mind on marihuana. In: Marihuana: chemistry, pharmacology, and patterns of social use. A. Singer, ed. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 191, 155–165 (1971)

  • Jones, R. T., Stone, G. C.: Psychological studies of marihuana and alcohol in man. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 18, 108–117 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Karlin, L.: Reaction time as a function of foreperiod duration and variability. J. exp. Psychol. 58, 185–191 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • King, H. E.: Psychomotor aspects of mental diasease. An experimental study. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press 1954

    Google Scholar 

  • King, H. E.: Reaction time and speed of voluntary movement by normal and psychotic subjects. J. Psychol. 59, 219–227 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiplinger, G. F., Manno, J. E., Rodda, B. E., Forney, R. B.: Dose response analysis of the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol in man. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 12, 650–657 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Manno, J. E., Kiplinger, G. F., Haine, S. E., Bennett, I. F., Forney, R. B.: Comparative effects of smoking marihuana or placebo on human motor and mental performance. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 11, 808–815 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Megles, F. T., Tinklenberg, J. R., Hollister, L. E., Gillespie, H. K.: Marihuana and temporal disintegration. Science 168, 118–120 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, R. E., Pillar, R. C., Shapiro, L. M., Mirin, S. M.: Administration of marihuana to heavy and casual users. Amer. J. Psychiat. 128, 198–204 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearl, J. H., Domino, E. F., Rennick, P.: Short term effects of marihuana smoking on cognitive behavior in experienced male users. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 31, 13–24 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rafaelsen, L., Christrup, H., Bech, P., Rafaelsen, O. J.: Effects of cannabis and alcohol on psychological tests. Nature (Lond.) 242, 117–118 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Secretary, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare: A report to congress: Marihuana and health. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1971, 1972, 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinklenberg, J. R., Kopell, B. C., Megles, F. T., Hollister, L. E.: Marihuana and alcohol. Time production and memory functions. Arch. gen. Psychiat. 27, 812–815 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinklenberg, J. R., Megles, F. T., Hollister, L. E., Gillespie, H. K.: Marihuana and immediate memory. Nature (Lond.) 226, 1171–1172 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Weil, A., Zinberg, N. E.: Acute effects of marihuana on speech. Nature (Lond.) 222, 434–437 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Weil, A. T., Zinberg, N. E., Nelson, J. M.: Clinical and psychological effects of marihuana. Science 162, 1234–1242 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuropsychopharmacology Research Unit, New York University Medical Center, New York

    Jacob Borg & Samuel Gershon

  2. Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York

    Murray Alpert

Authors
  1. Jacob Borg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Samuel Gershon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Murray Alpert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This research was supported by USPHS Grant MH-04669.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Borg, J., Gershon, S. & Alpert, M. Dose effects of smoked marihuana on human cognitive and motor functions. Psychopharmacologia 42, 211–218 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421258

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421258

Key words

Search

Navigation