12-16-2016, 10:19 AM
Study: Alcohol amplifies aggression but cannabis diminishes it
By <span><a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.psypost.org/author/edolan" title="Posts by Eric W. Dolan">Eric W. Dolan</a> </span> on <span> </span>
<span>December 15, 2016</span>
Alcohol intoxication amplifies feelings of aggression while cannabis intoxication diminishes feelings of aggression, according to research published in Psychopharmacology.
The study of 61 participants found alcohol consumption increased aggressive responsesduring a computer-based experiment designed to measure aggression,while cannabis consumption reduced aggressive responses.
PsyPost interviewed the studys corresponding author, Elizabeth de Sousa Fernandes Perna of Maastricht University. Read her responses below:
PsyPost: Why were you interested in this topic?
We wanted to investigate the link between alcohol, cannabis and aggression in healthy individuals who regularly consume alcohol or cannabis. Alcohol consumption has long been associated with acts of aggression and violence, whereas cannabis use is not typically associated with aggression. We were primarily interested to see how alcohol and cannabis would acutely affect subjective feelings of aggression next to physical acts of aggression when exposed to aggression stimuli.
What should the average person take away from your study?
It is important to keep in mind that while alcohol intoxication can increase feelings of aggression in regular alcohol users, it does not automatically mean that it will lead to behavioral acts of aggression in a real-life setting. The same is true for cannabis, but vice versa, cannabis intoxication does not automatically lead to a reduction of aggressive behavior in regular cannabis users. The results of our study indicate that intoxication with alcohol is more likely to lead to aggression compared to cannabis intoxication.
Are there any major caveats? What questions still need to be addressed?
We have shown that aggressive feelings were enhanced following an alcohol dose of 0.8 g/kg and we have also observed that aggressive responses increased with heightened feelings of aggression. However we cannot conclude that a higher alcohol dose is more likely to cause physical aggression as we did not investigate the effect of varying alcohol (or cannabis) doses on aggression. It is also interesting to see if the interaction between alcohol or cannabis intoxication and aggression exposure would be different when looking at males and females separately. Previous studies indicate that men are more likely to become aggressive when drunk, but is this also the case when both genders are exposed to aggression stimuli?
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Future studies investigating the drug-aggression relation should investigate the interaction between different risk factors that are associated with aggression, such as consumption patterns,.....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.psypost.org/2016/12/study-alcohol-amplifies-aggression-cannabis-diminishes-46515">http://www.psypost.org/2016/12/study-alcohol-amplifies-aggression-cannabis-diminishes-46515</a>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subjective aggression during alcohol and cannabis intoxication before and after aggression exposure
<ul class="">
[*]<a class="" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1#authors">Authors</a>
[*]<a class="" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1#authorsandaffiliations">Authors and affiliations</a>
</ul>
<div>
</li>
[*]
E.L.Theunissen<ul class=""><li>1</ul>
</li>
[*]
K.P.C.Kuypers<ul class=""><li>1</ul>
</li>
[*]
S.W.Toennes<ul class=""><li>2</ul>
</li>
[*]
J.G.Ramaekers<ul class=""><li>1</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<span>Open AccessOriginal Investigation</span><div> First Online: <a class="" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1#article-dates-history">15 July 2016</a>
<p class="">DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1
<p class="">
Abstract Rationale<p class="">Alcohol and cannabis use have been implicated in aggression. Alcohol consumption is known to facilitate aggression, whereas a causal link between cannabis and aggression has not been clearly demonstrated.
Objectives<p class="">This study investigated the acute effects of alcohol and cannabis on subjective aggression in alcohol and cannabis users, respectively, following aggression exposure. Drug-free controls served as a reference. It was hypothesized that aggression exposure would increase subjective aggression in alcohol users during alcohol intoxication, whereas it was expected to decrease subjective aggression in cannabis users during cannabis intoxication.
Methods<p class="">Heavy alcohol (n=20) and regular cannabis users (n=21), and controls (n=20) were included in a mixed factorial study. Alcohol and cannabis users received single doses of alcohol and placebo or cannabis and placebo, respectively. Subjective aggression was assessed before and after aggression exposure consisting of administrations of the point-subtraction aggression paradigm (PSAP) and the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT). Testosterone and cortisol levels in response to alcohol/cannabis treatment and aggression exposure were recorded as secondary outcome measures.
Results<p class="">Subjective aggression significantly increased following aggression exposure in all groups while being sober. Alcohol intoxication increased subjective aggression whereas cannabis decreased the subjective aggression following aggression exposure. Aggressive responses during the PSAP increased following alcohol and decreased following cannabis relative to placebo. Changes in aggressive feeling or response were not correlated to the neuroendocrine response to treatments.
ConclusionsIt is concluded that alcohol facilitates feelings of aggression whereas cannabis diminishes aggressive feelings in heavy alcohol,........
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1">http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1</a>
</div>
By <span><a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.psypost.org/author/edolan" title="Posts by Eric W. Dolan">Eric W. Dolan</a> </span> on <span> </span>
<span>December 15, 2016</span>
Alcohol intoxication amplifies feelings of aggression while cannabis intoxication diminishes feelings of aggression, according to research published in Psychopharmacology.
The study of 61 participants found alcohol consumption increased aggressive responsesduring a computer-based experiment designed to measure aggression,while cannabis consumption reduced aggressive responses.
PsyPost interviewed the studys corresponding author, Elizabeth de Sousa Fernandes Perna of Maastricht University. Read her responses below:
PsyPost: Why were you interested in this topic?
We wanted to investigate the link between alcohol, cannabis and aggression in healthy individuals who regularly consume alcohol or cannabis. Alcohol consumption has long been associated with acts of aggression and violence, whereas cannabis use is not typically associated with aggression. We were primarily interested to see how alcohol and cannabis would acutely affect subjective feelings of aggression next to physical acts of aggression when exposed to aggression stimuli.
What should the average person take away from your study?
It is important to keep in mind that while alcohol intoxication can increase feelings of aggression in regular alcohol users, it does not automatically mean that it will lead to behavioral acts of aggression in a real-life setting. The same is true for cannabis, but vice versa, cannabis intoxication does not automatically lead to a reduction of aggressive behavior in regular cannabis users. The results of our study indicate that intoxication with alcohol is more likely to lead to aggression compared to cannabis intoxication.
Are there any major caveats? What questions still need to be addressed?
We have shown that aggressive feelings were enhanced following an alcohol dose of 0.8 g/kg and we have also observed that aggressive responses increased with heightened feelings of aggression. However we cannot conclude that a higher alcohol dose is more likely to cause physical aggression as we did not investigate the effect of varying alcohol (or cannabis) doses on aggression. It is also interesting to see if the interaction between alcohol or cannabis intoxication and aggression exposure would be different when looking at males and females separately. Previous studies indicate that men are more likely to become aggressive when drunk, but is this also the case when both genders are exposed to aggression stimuli?
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Future studies investigating the drug-aggression relation should investigate the interaction between different risk factors that are associated with aggression, such as consumption patterns,.....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.psypost.org/2016/12/study-alcohol-amplifies-aggression-cannabis-diminishes-46515">http://www.psypost.org/2016/12/study-alcohol-amplifies-aggression-cannabis-diminishes-46515</a>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subjective aggression during alcohol and cannabis intoxication before and after aggression exposure
<ul class="">
[*]<a class="" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1#authors">Authors</a>
[*]<a class="" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1#authorsandaffiliations">Authors and affiliations</a>
</ul>
<div>
- E.B.De Sousa Fernandes Perna<span><a class="" href="mailto:e.desousafernandes@maastrichtuniversity.nl">Email author</a></span>
- E.L.Theunissen
- K.P.C.Kuypers
- S.W.Toennes
- J.G.Ramaekers
- E.B.De Sousa Fernandes Perna<ul class=""><li>1
</li>
[*]
E.L.Theunissen<ul class=""><li>1</ul>
</li>
[*]
K.P.C.Kuypers<ul class=""><li>1</ul>
</li>
[*]
S.W.Toennes<ul class=""><li>2</ul>
</li>
[*]
J.G.Ramaekers<ul class=""><li>1</ul>
</li>
</ul>
- 1.<span>Department Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and NeuroscienceMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands</span>
- 2.<span>Department of Forensic Toxicology, Institute of Legal MedicineGoethe University of FrankfurtFrankfurtGermany</span>
</div>
<span>Open AccessOriginal Investigation</span><div> First Online: <a class="" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1#article-dates-history">15 July 2016</a>
<p class="">DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1
<p class="">
Abstract Rationale<p class="">Alcohol and cannabis use have been implicated in aggression. Alcohol consumption is known to facilitate aggression, whereas a causal link between cannabis and aggression has not been clearly demonstrated.
Objectives<p class="">This study investigated the acute effects of alcohol and cannabis on subjective aggression in alcohol and cannabis users, respectively, following aggression exposure. Drug-free controls served as a reference. It was hypothesized that aggression exposure would increase subjective aggression in alcohol users during alcohol intoxication, whereas it was expected to decrease subjective aggression in cannabis users during cannabis intoxication.
Methods<p class="">Heavy alcohol (n=20) and regular cannabis users (n=21), and controls (n=20) were included in a mixed factorial study. Alcohol and cannabis users received single doses of alcohol and placebo or cannabis and placebo, respectively. Subjective aggression was assessed before and after aggression exposure consisting of administrations of the point-subtraction aggression paradigm (PSAP) and the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT). Testosterone and cortisol levels in response to alcohol/cannabis treatment and aggression exposure were recorded as secondary outcome measures.
Results<p class="">Subjective aggression significantly increased following aggression exposure in all groups while being sober. Alcohol intoxication increased subjective aggression whereas cannabis decreased the subjective aggression following aggression exposure. Aggressive responses during the PSAP increased following alcohol and decreased following cannabis relative to placebo. Changes in aggressive feeling or response were not correlated to the neuroendocrine response to treatments.
ConclusionsIt is concluded that alcohol facilitates feelings of aggression whereas cannabis diminishes aggressive feelings in heavy alcohol,........
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1">http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-016-4371-1</a>
</div>