Key result
Cannabis inhalation impairs sympathetic recruitment and derecruits high-threshold action potentials during apnea.
Why the study?
The effects of cannabis inhalation on the firing and recruitment patterns of postganglionic muscle sympathetic action potentials in humans were not well understood.
Does cannabis inhalation alter the firing and recruitment patterns of postganglionic muscle sympathetic action potentials in humans?
Does cannabis inhalation alter the firing and recruitment patterns of postganglionic muscle sympathetic action potentials in humans?
Cannabis inhalation acutely impairs homeostatic communication between the sympathetic nervous system and cardiovascular system by altering sympathetic action potential firing and recruitment.
Acute cannabis inhalation may disrupt sympathetic cardiovascular control; hypothesis-generating for autonomic mechanisms in cannabis-related risk.
We examined the impact of cannabis inhalation on the firing and recruitment patterns of postganglionic muscle sympathetic action potentials (APs) in humans. We found that cannabis inhalation induced a derecruitment of larger, high-threshold APs, reduced the discharge probability and baroreflex control of medium-sized APs at rest, and impaired sympathetic AP recruitment during an end-expiratory apnea. Collectively, these data indicate that cannabis impairs the fundamental, homeostatic communication between the sympathetic nervous system and cardiovascular system.
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D’Souza et al. (2025) studied this question. Cannabis inhalation was evaluated on Firing and recruitment patterns of postganglionic muscle sympathetic action potentials. Cannabis inhalation induced a derecruitment of larger, high-threshold sympathetic action potentials and impaired sympathetic recruitment during an end-expiratory apnea.
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