The purpose of this study is to explore sex differences in cognitive functioning and responses to marijuana-related items, and to determine whether stress impacts these measures. Hypothesis 1: Attentional bias will be greater for marijuana cues in male marijuana-dependent subjects relative to female marijuana-dependent or non-dependent male controls. Hypothesis 2: Marijuana-dependent females will exhibit greater stress-induced changes in attentional bias and cognitive functioning than marijuana-dependent males.
Ample evidence implicates both environmental cues and negative affective states in maintaining drug use or triggering relapse. However, although 'craving' is believed to drive continued drug use, it is not well understood how cognitive processes influence craving and relapse, nor how they may differ between the sexes. Therefore, the goal of this study protocol is to provide insight into sex differences in the cognitive aspects of drug craving and to assess the impact of stress on attentional bias for drug-related cues as well as on the availability of cognitive resources.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT-C), has been modified for use as a computerized laboratory-based stressor. Single digits are presented, and the patient must add each new digit to the one immediately prior to it and click on the appropriate answer. Failure to do so in the allotted time results in a noxious error sound.
Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. of Psychiatry/Clinical Neuroscience Division
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Primary outcome measures will be obtained from the auditory odd-ball task: differences while viewing the marijuana vs neutral video in reaction time (msec), errors of omission (%), and errors of commission (%).
Time frame: ~ 3 hours
Secondary measures include subjective (craving and stress), physiological (heart rate and skin conductance), and stress hormone level (cortisol) assessments.
Time frame: ~ 3 hours
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