Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39888377›Full record

ArticlePsychopharmacology2026

Acute and chronic cannabis vapor exposure produces immediate and delayed impacts on phases of fear learning in a sex specific manner.

Savannah H M Lightfoot, Andrei S Nastase, Gabriela Costa Lenz Cesar, Catherine Hume, Renaud C Gom, G Campbell Teskey, Matthew N Hill

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Article in Psychopharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Understanding the Role of Endocannabinoids in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Savannah H M Lightfoot *Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Andrei S Nastase *Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Gabriela Costa Lenz CesarMount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Catherine HumeHotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Renaud C GomHotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
G Campbell TeskeyHotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Matthew N HillHotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. mnhill@ucalgary.ca.

Funding

Canadian Institute of Health Research PJT-162204Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) TCP-431510
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleCurrent treatment options for PTSD have unreliable efficacy, with many individuals unable to achieve complete remission. Cannabis and cannabinoids that act through the endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system to help promote trauma recovery by means of enhanced extinction learning are potential therapeutic, pharmacological candidates. Using a preclinical model of translationally-relevant cannabis administration in rodents, we examined the impact of cannabis exposure on aversive memory.

objectivesOur study investigated the effects of acute cannabis exposure prior to (1) fear conditioning and (2) fear extinction, as well as (3) chronic cannabis exposure prior to fear conditioning, on the behavioural representations of fear memory dynamics in a Pavlovian auditory conditioning paradigm.

methodsMale and female Sprague Dawley rats were acutely or chronically exposed to THC-dominant cannabis extract or vehicle vapor as described above. We then assessed both passive (freezing) and active (darting) fear behaviours during conditioning, extinction, retrieval, and spontaneous recovery.

resultsAcute cannabis exposure prior to conditioning had no immediate effects on fear acquisition, but impaired fear recall in females 24 h later and prevented spontaneous recovery of conditioned fear following a two-week retrieval test in both male and female rats. Acute cannabis exposure prior to extinction training impaired extinction in females while enhancing extinction acquisition in males. Finally, chronic THC exposure prior to fear conditioning initially potentiated fear responses, predominately in females, but produced no differences in spontaneous recovery in a two-week retrieval test.

conclusionsCannabis exposure has complex dynamics on fear memory, however, acute cannabis exposure prior to fear learning appears to result in destabilization of the fear memory long term, which could have potential implications for PTSD.

Indexed as

CannabisDronabinolFearAnimalsConditioning, ClassicalExtinction, PsychologicalFemaleMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleySex CharacteristicsTime FactorsDronabinolAcuteAuditory fear conditioningCannabisChronicExtinctionSpontaneous recovery

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.