Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38900958›Full record

Trial reportSchizophrenia bulletin2025

Randomized Laboratory Study of Single-Dose Cannabis, Dronabinol, and Placebo in Patients With Schizophrenia and Cannabis Use Disorder.

Mary F Brunette, Robert M Roth, Christi Trask, Jibran Y Khokhar, James C Ford, Soo Hwan Park, Sara M Hickey, Thomas Zeffiro, Haiyi Xie

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Does cannabidiol reduce the adverse effects of cannabis in schizophrenia? A randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
    Trial
  2. The Potential of Hair Matrix for Biomarker Analysis in Schizophrenia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mary F BrunetteDartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Department of Psychiatry, Lebanon, NH, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0713-8745
Robert M RothDartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Department of Psychiatry, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Christi TraskOhio State University College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Columbus, OH, USA.
Jibran Y KhokharUniversity of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, London, Ontario, Canada.
James C FordDartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Department of Psychiatry, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Soo Hwan ParkDartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Department of Psychiatry, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Sara M HickeyDartmouth-Health, Department of Psychiatry, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Thomas ZeffiroUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Oncology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Haiyi XieDartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Department of Psychiatry, Lebanon, NH, USA.

Funding

Cannabis, Schizophrenia and Reward: Self-Medication and Agonist Treatment?R01DA034699 · NIDA · DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK CLINIC · PI BRUNETTE, MARY FRANCES · 2013 to 2019
$4.3M
National Institute of Drug Abuse R01DA034699NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA034699NIH HHS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and hypothesisUp to 43% of people with schizophrenia have a lifetime cannabis use disorder (CUD). Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to exacerbate psychosis in a dose-dependent manner, but little research has assessed its effects on schizophrenia and co-occurring CUD (SCZ-CUD). In this double-dummy, placebo-controlled trial (total n = 130), we hypothesized that a modest dose of THC would worsen cognitive function but not psychosis. STUDY

designEffects of single-dose oral THC (15 mg dronabinol) or smoked 3.5% THC cigarettes vs placebo in SCZ-CUD or CUD-only on positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia (only for SCZ-CUD), cognition, and drug experiences assessed several hours after drug administration. SCZ-only and healthy control participants were also assessed. STUDY

resultsDrug liking was higher in THC groups vs placebo. Neither smoked THC nor oral dronabinol predicted positive or negative symptom subscale scores 2 and 5 h, respectively, after drug exposure in SCZ-CUD participants. The oral dronabinol SCZ-CUD group, but not smoked THC SCZ-CUD group, performed worse than placebo on verbal learning (B = -9.89; 95% CI: -16.06, -3.18; P = .004) and attention (B = -0.61; 95% CI: -1.00, -0.23; P = .002). Every 10-point increment in serum THC + THCC ng/ml was associated with increased negative symptoms (0.40 points; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.65; P = .001; subscale ranges 7-49) and trends were observed for worse positive symptoms and performance in verbal learning, delayed recall, and working memory.

conclusionsIn people with SCZ-CUD, a modest single dose of oral THC was associated with worse cognitive functioning without symptom exacerbation several hours after administration, and a THC dose-response effect was seen for negative symptoms.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionDronabinolMarijuana AbuseSchizophreniaAdultComorbidityDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultDronabinolcannabiscannabis use disordercognitiondronabinolplacebopsychosisrandomized trialschizophreniaTHC

Identifiers

PMID38900958
PMCPMC11908874

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.