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Cited by 32Memory Processes and InfluencesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Pre-encoding administration of amphetamine or THC preferentially modulates emotional memory in humans

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Ballard, Michael E., Gallo, David A., de Wit, Harriet·2013·Psychopharmacology
DOI 10.1007/s00213-012-2924-5PMC PMC3595317
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Abstract

Rationale Many addictive drugs are known to have effects on learning and memory, and these effects could motivate future drug use. Specifically, addictive drugs may affect memory of emotional events and experiences in ways that are attractive to some users. However, few studies have investigated the effects of addictive drugs on emotional memory in humans. Objectives This study examined the effects of the memory-enhancing drug dextroamphetamine (AMP) and the memory-impairing drug Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on emotional memory in healthy volunteers. Methods Participants completed three experimental sessions across which they received capsules containing placebo and two doses of either AMP (10 and 20 mg; N = 25) or THC (7.5 and 15 mg; N = 25) before viewing pictures of positive (pleasant), neutral, and negative (unpleasant) scenes. Memory for the pictures was assessed 2 days later, under drug-free conditions. Results Relative to placebo, memory for emotional pictures was improved by AMP and impaired by THC, but neither drug significantly affected memory for unemotional pictures. Positive memory biases were not observed with either drug, and there was no indication that the drugs' memory effects were directly related to their subjective or physiological effects alone. Conclusions This study provides the first clear evidence that stimulant drugs can preferentially strengthen, and cannabinoids can preferentially impair, memory for emotional events in humans. Although addictive drugs do not appear to positively bias memory, the possibility remains that these drugs' effects on emotional memory could influence drug use among certain individuals.

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  • Empirical work on cannabis and false-memory production is rather limited.

    “Empirical work in this area is rather limited (see ref. 5 for a recent review).”

    From Hazy memories in the courtroom: A review of alcohol and other drug effects on false memory and suggestibility (2021) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says that few studies have examined addictive drugs and emotional memory in humans, and that THC had not previously been evaluated for long-term declarative emotional memory. The Results (page unavailable) measure false alarms, but the paper does not establish that empirical work specifically on cannabis and false-memory production is limited; it is also an experiment, not a review. (LLM, conf=0.75)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Ballard, M. E., Gallo, D. A., & de Wit, H.
Affiliations
University of Chicago (US)
ORCID
Venue
Psychopharmacology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2012-12-09
Volume
226
Issue
3
Pages
515-529
ISSN
  • 0033-3158 (ISSN-L)
  • 1432-2072
DOI
10.1007/s00213-012-2924-5
PMC
PMC3595317
OpenAlex
W2102238083
Cited by
32
References
115
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
FWCI
1.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Psychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21DA031796, F31DA030863, DA 02812, DA031796, R01DA002812, T32DA007255)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
emotional memory, d-amphetamine, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, memory-enhancing drugs, memory impairment, stimulants, cannabinoids, drug addiction, memory bias, emotional pictures, drug use motivations
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Dextroamphetamine, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Double-Blind Method, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Dronabinol, Cross-Over Studies, Young Adult

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