Behavioral Pharmacology of Cannabis in Older Adults

Behavioral Pharmacology of Cannabis in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

This study examines the effects of cannabis on mood, cognitive and psychomotor performance, balance and vital signs in older adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Health Services for the Aged
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Cannabis (up to three doses)

Detailed Description

The overarching aims of this pilot study are to determine the dose-related effects of cannabis and explore feasibility and acceptability of conducting a rigorous behavioral pharmacology study in this population. Using a within-subject design in older adults (55-70 years), this study will (1) determine acute dose-related effects of cannabis on physiological, subjective, cognitive, and psychomotor measures and (2) explore acceptability/feasibility of this approach among older adults in order to refine procedures for future studies. Volunteers (55-70 years) will undergo three 7.5-hour experimental sessions conducted one week apart, in which they receive cannabis containing various oral doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) / cannabidiol (CBD) administered in a brownie formulation and the following are assessed: 1) self-reported and/or observer ratings of positive and negative subjective effects; 2) performance effects, measured by reaction time, coordination, and cognitive impairment; and 3) cardiovascular effects. Participants will be contacted the day after each session for feedback on the acceptability of session length, types, number and duration of tasks and any adverse events. Reasons for dropout will also be sought to determine whether study procedures impacted attrition. Findings will: 1) provide investigative team with the hands-on research cannabis research experience; 2) elucidate the optimal THC dose range; and 3) determine the most feasible/acceptable study design in older adults that will inform further rigorous studies examining acute and chronic administration of cannabis formulations among older adults.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 3
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205
      • University of Arkansas for Medical Science

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Self-reported history of marijuana use with no serious adverse effects
• Negative urine toxicology screen for psychoactive drugs (cocaine, fentanyl, methadone, opiates, buprenorphine, methamphetamine, amphetamines, barbiturates, oxycodone, benzodiazepines, phencyclidine, and THC) and CBD
• Negative breath alcohol concentration
• Report ≥1 year abstinence from nicotine and tobacco
• Report ≥1 month of abstinence from THC- and CBD- containing products and be willing to abstain from these products for the study duration
• Blood pressure (BP) reading ≤140/90 and ≥110/70 at the time of screening
• Read and understand English (because assessments are validated in English)
• Menopause as defined as no reported menstruation for ≥12 months (females only)
• Negative urine pregnancy test (females only)
• Stable medical conditions controlled by non-psychoactive medications that do not alter THC/CBD metabolism (e.g., hypertension under control with certain antihypertensives; type II diabetes controlled by metformin)

Exclusion Criteria:

• A history of moderate to severe substance use disorders (SUDs) (except tobacco), according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), and no recent history (≥1 year) of SUD
• Current tobacco/nicotine use
• ECG abnormalities at screening including but not limited to: bradycardia (<55 beats per minute); prolonged QTc interval (>450 msec); Wolff-Parkinson White syndrome; wide complex tachycardia; 2nd degree, Mobitz type II heart block; 3rd degree heart block; left or right bundle branch block; pre-existing severe gastrointestinal narrowing (pathologic or iatrogenic)
• Have a serious and uncontrolled medical condition (major cardiovascular, renal, endocrine, or hepatic disorder) including a history of serious head trauma or neurological disorder (e.g., seizure disorder)
• Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 criteria for lifetime psychosis, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder or current major depressive disorder, suicidality (e.g., last month suicidal ideation or suicide attempt in past year, as measured by Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale) or have significant psychiatric symptoms of another disorder
• Diagnosis of a cognitive disorder (Alzheimer's Disease, dementia) or a score of <25 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for Dementia during screening
• Currently taking any prescribed medication for a psychiatric disorder
• Current use of over-the-counter medication or prescription psychoactive drugs that would be expected to have major interaction with THC (e.g., warfarin, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, sildenafil).
• Reported cancer-related fibromyalgia or neuropathic pain conditions
• Have a medical contraindication to, or prior serious adverse events from, cannabis or brownie ingredients (e.g., food sensitivities to gluten/wheat, chocolate, eggs)
• Consume the equivalent of >2 cups of coffee/day (to reduce variability related to metabolic interactions with caffeine)
• Have any of the following: uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., systolic >140 mm Hg and/or diastolic >90 mm Hg on three separate occasions; systolic >170 or diastolic >110 on any occasion), liver function tests >3 times normal, blood urea Nitrogen and Creatinine outside normal range
• Have a physical limitation that will interfere with completing study tasks
• Have child-bearing potential (women)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cannabis (up to three doses); Brownies containing a dose of cannabis	Drug: Cannabis (up to three doses); a dose of cannabis will be baked into brownies

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Vital Signs - Blood Pressure	systolic/diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Vital Signs - Respiration	respiration rate (breaths per minute)	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Vital Signs - Pulse	pulse (beats per minute)	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Self/Observer Ratings - Pain	Visual Analog Scales (making a handwritten mark on a 10-cm line that represents a continuum between "no pain" and "worst pain")	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Self/Observer Ratings - Side Effects	Side Effects Ratings	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Self/Observer Ratings - POMS	Profile of Mood States (POMS) short form - using a five-point scale ranging from "not at all" to "extremely."	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Self/Observer Ratings - CADSS	Clinician Administered Dissociative Symptoms Scale (CADSS)-	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Self/Observer Ratings - PROMIS	Patient Reported Outcomes Measurements Information System (PROMIS) Cognitive Function short form v2	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Balance Tests - Four-Stage	The Four-Stage Balance Test- When the patient is steady, let go, and time how long they can maintain the position, but remain ready to assist the patient if they should lose their balance.	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Balance Tests - Timed Up and Go	The Timed Up & Go Test- Timing commences on the command 'go' and stops when the subject's back is positioned against the back of the chair after sitting down.	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration
Balance Tests - 30 sec chair-stand	The 30-Second Chair-Stand Test- the number of times the patient comes to a full standing position in 30 seconds.	pre-drug and 1, 2, 3, and 5.5 hours post-drug administration

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive Function Tests - Flanker	Flanker inhibitory control and attention test- participants are required to indicate the left-right orientation of a centrally presented stimulus while inhibiting attention to the potentially incongruent stimuli that surround it	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Picture Sequence	Picture sequence memory- Participants are shown a number of activities, and then asked to reproduce the sequence of pictures as it was presented to them.	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Vocab	Picture vocabulary test- to measure the receptive (hearing) vocabulary of English-speaking adults	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Oral Reading	Oral reading recognition test- participants see a letter or word onscreen and must pronounce or identify it.	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Card Sort	Dimensional change card sort test- participants switch from sorting cards one way (e.g., by color) to sorting them a different way (e.g., by shape)	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - pattern processing	Pattern comparison processing speed test- measures speed of processing by asking participants to discern whether two sideby-side pictures are the same or not.	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Auditory learning	Auditory learning verbal test- Five presentations of a 15-word list are given, each followed by attempted recall.	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Oral symbol	Oral symbol digit test- given 120 seconds to orally match symbols with digits as quickly as possible.	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration
Cognitive Function Tests - Sorting	List sorting working memory -a sequencing task requiring to sort information and sequence it	pre-drug and 3 hours post-drug administration

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability - session length	session length- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - ride service	ride service- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - types of assessments	types of assessments- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - frequency of assessments	frequency of assessments- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - duration of assessments	duration of assessments- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - wait times	wait times- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability- activities	activities between assessment cycles- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - food	food- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3
Acceptability - AEs	Adverse Events- Likert Scale (0 [not at all acceptable]-5 [completely acceptable])	1 day after sessions 1, 2, and 3

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alison Oliveto, PhD, University of Arkansas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 12, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 19, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): September 26, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 12, 2026
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Marijuana Abuse; nabiximols
• Other Study ID Numbers: 275234

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

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