Impact of Cannabis Use and Abstinence on Emotion

Florida State University30 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this experimental study is to test how three weeks of cannabis abstinence impacts threat and reward processing in females with Cannabis Use Disorder. The main questions it aims to answer are: Compared to using cannabis as usual, will cannabis cue reactivity increase throughout three weeks of abstinence from cannabis? Compared to using cannabis as usual, will threat reactivity be elevated at weeks 1 and 2 of abstinence followed by a decrease at week 3 of abstinence? Compared to using cannabis as usual, will non-drug reward reactivity be lower at weeks 1 and 2 of abstinence followed by an increase at week 3 of abstinence? Compared to successful 3-week abstainers, will threat, non-drug reward, and cannabis cue reactivity differ in relapsers? Researchers will compare females with CUD who abstain from cannabis for three weeks to those who continue to use cannabis as usual to see how cannabis abstinence impacts threat and reward processing. Participants will: Be randomly assigned to continue using cannabis as usual or abstain from cannabis for three weeks Visit the lab 6 times over three weeks, followed by a 1-month follow-up lab visit for the participants assigned to the cannabis abstinence condition Complete phone surveys every other day across the three week study period

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Cannabis Use Disorder, Severe

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 30 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * \>=5 cannabis use days per week on average over the past 3 months * Female * \>=6 past-year CUD symptoms (must include withdrawal and at least one criterion other than craving must be met within the past 3 months) * \>=20 days of cannabis use over the past 30 days * Positive urinalysis for THC * Cannabis is primary substance of abuse Exclusion Criteria: * Current pregnancy * History of psychotic, seizure, or cardiovascular disorder * Immediate plan to quit cannabis * Current treatment for cannabis use * Current daily psychotropic medication use * Lotion allergy * Positive urinalysis for any drug other than THC * CSRSS \>= 4 * Current moderate (4+ criteria) or severe (6+ criteria) substance use disorder (SUD) other than CUD or nicotine dependence * CBD use \>= 9 days

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Late Positive Potential

The Late Positive Potential (neural measure recorded via electroencephalography) will be quantified from \~400 to 3000ms at central-parietal sensors relative to the onset of a cannabis, neutral, unpleasant, or pleasant image. The Late Positive Potential to cannabis vs. neutral and cannabis vs. pleasant will be the primary contrasts of interest.