“Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the psychoactive component of the plant Cannabis sativa and acts as a partial agonist at cannabinoid type 1 and type 2 receptors in the brain.
The goal of this study was to assess the effect of THC on the cerebral glucose uptake in the rat brain.
Low blood THC levels of <1 ng/ml corresponded to an increased glucose uptake while blood THC levels > 10 ng/ml coincided with a decreased glucose uptake. The effective concentration in this region was estimated 2.4 ng/ml.
This glucose PET study showed that stimulation of CB1 receptors by THC affects the glucose uptake in the rat brain, whereby the effect of THC is regionally different and dependent on dose – an effect that may be of relevance in behavioural studies.”