Addiction, Author Interviews, Cannabis, Memory / 12.03.2026
WSU Study: Avoid Cannabis When Relying on Memory is Important
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Do not use Cannabis products including edibles, drinks and CBD if you are pregnant, nursing or may become pregnant. Do not use cannabis products if driving or operating difficult or dangerous machinery. Children should not be exposed to cannabis or CBD products.
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_72752" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Cutttler, Ph.D.[/caption]
Carrie Cuttler, Ph.D.
The Health & Cognition (THC) Lab
Associate Professor
Director, Experimental Psychology Doctoral Program
Co-Director, Cannabis Research Center (CRC)
Department of Psychology
Washington State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: One of the most well-documented effects of acute cannabis intoxication is impairment in memory. However, memory is not a single process. It is a complex system made up of multiple distinct subsystems that rely on different neural mechanisms and support different types of remembering.
Most prior research examining the acute effects of cannabis in humans has focused on a relatively narrow set of memory tests—primarily verbal memory tasks, which involve recalling lists of words, and working memory tasks, which require temporarily holding and manipulating information in consciousness.
Far fewer studies have examined how cannabis affects other types of memory that are more relevant to everyday life. These include temporal order memory (remembering the order in which events occurred), prospective memory (remembering to perform tasks in the future), source memory (remembering where information came from), false memory (recalling information that was never presented), and episodic content memory (recalling personally experienced events).
To address this gap, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examining the acute effects of cannabis across multiple memory domains. In total, 120 participants were randomly assigned to vaporize either a placebo, a moderate dose of cannabis (20 mg THC), or a high dose of cannabis (40 mg THC).
Dr. Cutttler, Ph.D.[/caption]
Carrie Cuttler, Ph.D.
The Health & Cognition (THC) Lab
Associate Professor
Director, Experimental Psychology Doctoral Program
Co-Director, Cannabis Research Center (CRC)
Department of Psychology
Washington State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: One of the most well-documented effects of acute cannabis intoxication is impairment in memory. However, memory is not a single process. It is a complex system made up of multiple distinct subsystems that rely on different neural mechanisms and support different types of remembering.
Most prior research examining the acute effects of cannabis in humans has focused on a relatively narrow set of memory tests—primarily verbal memory tasks, which involve recalling lists of words, and working memory tasks, which require temporarily holding and manipulating information in consciousness.
Far fewer studies have examined how cannabis affects other types of memory that are more relevant to everyday life. These include temporal order memory (remembering the order in which events occurred), prospective memory (remembering to perform tasks in the future), source memory (remembering where information came from), false memory (recalling information that was never presented), and episodic content memory (recalling personally experienced events).
To address this gap, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examining the acute effects of cannabis across multiple memory domains. In total, 120 participants were randomly assigned to vaporize either a placebo, a moderate dose of cannabis (20 mg THC), or a high dose of cannabis (40 mg THC).
Dr. Akefe[/caption]
Isaac O Akefe DVM, PhD
Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research
Queensland Brain Institute
The University of Queensland St Lucia
Academy for Medical Education, Medical School
Brisbane QLD Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The brain is the body’s fattiest organ, with fatty compounds called lipids making up 60% of its weight. Fatty acids are the building blocks of a class of lipids called phospholipids.
In our study, we first showed that levels of saturated fatty acids increase in the brain during neuronal communication and long-term memory formation, but we didn’t know what was causing these changes.
Prof. Leon[/caption]
Michael Leon, Professor emeritus
Dr. Nation[/caption]
Daniel A. Nation, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders
University of California, Irvin
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Hypertension is a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia, and treatment of hypertension has been linked to decreased risk for cognitive impairment.
Prior studies have attempted to identify which specific type of antihypertensive treatment conveys the most benefit for cognition, but findings have been mixed regarding this question. We hypothesized that antihypertensive drugs acting on the brain angiotensin system may convey the greatest benefit since they affect the brain angiotensin system that has been implicated in memory function.