Cannabinoids, Learning, and Memory (THC-Memory)

April 23, 2026 updated by: Mohini Ranganathan, Yale University
The overarching goal of this study is to characterize the effects of cannabinoids on working and episodic memory.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will be achieved by studying the acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis and a cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) agonist, on a wide range of memory tasks in healthy human subjects.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • West Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06516
        • VA Connecticut Healthcare System

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Men and women aged 18 and 55 years (extremes included) on day of first dosing
  • Exposed to cannabis at least once in their lifetime

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cannabis naive
  • Positive pregnancy screen during screening
  • Hearing deficits

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: THC
Active THC (0.0015mg/kg-0.03mg/kg) administered over 20 minutes.
Drug: THC
Active THC (0.0015-0.03 mg/kg) administered over 20 minutes.
Drug: Placebo
Control: small amount of alcohol intravenously (quarter teaspoon), with no THC over 20 minutes.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Control: small amount of alcohol intravenously (quarter teaspoon), with no THC over 20 minutes.
Drug: THC
Active THC (0.0015-0.03 mg/kg) administered over 20 minutes.
Drug: Placebo
Control: small amount of alcohol intravenously (quarter teaspoon), with no THC over 20 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)
Time Frame: +35 minutes after infusion
a measure of verbal episodic memory
+35 minutes after infusion
N-Back Task
Time Frame: +65 minutes after infusion
a measure of working memory
+65 minutes after infusion

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinician Administered Dissociative Symptoms Scale (Total Score)
Time Frame: Baseline, +10, +85, and +240 minutes after the first infusion
Baseline, +10, +85, and +240 minutes after the first infusion
Visual Analog Scale (Total Score)
Time Frame: Baseline, +10, +85, +240 minutes after the first infusion
a measure of THC intoxication
Baseline, +10, +85, +240 minutes after the first infusion

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Yale University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mohini Ranganathan, M.D., Assistant Professor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

February 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 10, 2018

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 31, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 31, 2015

First Posted (Estimated)

April 3, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 23, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1501015211
  • No NIH funding (Other Identifier: 11.16.23)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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