CB-1 receptor agonist drastically changes oscillatory activity, defining active sleep.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America April 22, 2025 Irina Topchiy, Bernat Kocsis
Cannabis fundamentally alters brain activity during sleep by activating CB1 receptors. In rats, a CB1 receptor agonist disrupted normal sleep patterns: intermediate sleep lengthened sixfold and intruded into REM sleep, while theta oscillations during REM were drastically reduced. Sleep spindle architecture also changed—spindle amplitude increased and peak frequency shifted downward into the theta range. These findings may help explain how cannabis produces both cognitive deficits and psychotic-like effects, and highlight the role of brain oscillations in psychiatric conditions.