Neurobiological mechanisms underlying cannabis-induced memory impairment

Abstract

A growing body of literature suggests that cannabis intake can induce memory loss in humans and animals. Besides the recreational use, daily cannabis users may also belong to the ever-increasing population of patients who are administered cannabis as a medicine. As such, they also can experience impairments in memory as a negative side effect of their therapy. Comprehension of the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for such detrimental effects would be therefore of paramount relevance to public health. The investigation of neurobiological mechanisms in humans, despite the progress in the development of imaging technologies that allow the study of brain structure and function, still suffers substantial limitations. Animal models, instead, enable us to establish a causal relationship and thus to better elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the process under study. In this review, we will attempt to collect the insight coming from animal models about cannabis effects on memory, trying to depict a picture of the neurobiological mechanisms contributing to the development of cognitive deficits following cannabis use.

Keywords: Astrocytes; CB1 receptor; Epigenetics; Memory; Microglia; THC.