Hippocampal Neurotoxicity of D9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Guy Chiu-Kai Chan, Thomas R. Hinds, Soren Impey, and Daniel R. Storm The Journal of Neuroscience, 1998, 18, (14), 5322–5332 Marijuana consumption elicits diverse physiological and psychological effects in humans, including memory loss. Here we report that D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of marijuana, is toxic for hippocampal neurons. Treatment of cultured neurons or hippocampal slices with THC caused shrinkage of neuronal cell bodies and nuclei as well as genomic DNA strand breaks, hallmarks of neuronal apoptosis. Neuron death induced by THC was inhibited by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including indomethacin and aspirin, as well as vitamin E and [...]