Cannabis Observations on Brain Waves, Retrieval, and Attention: Experiment 1

NCT ID: NCT05868213

Last Updated: 2024-12-20

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

96 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-08-17

Study Completion Date

2024-12-15

Brief Summary

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This study investigates the impact of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on recognition memory in healthy, regular cannabis users. Participants complete the same recognition memory task after self-administering one of three different strains of cannabis flower one day and while not intoxicated another day. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are measured via electroencephalogram (EEG) during the recognition memory task. Blood is collected to quantify THC and CBD exposure. Participants also complete self-report measures of medical history, sleep quality, subjective cognitive function, physical activity, psychological functioning, substance use, and acute drug effects.

Detailed Description

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Previous research has established cannabis's harmful cognitive impact, with particularly robust and consistent effects in the domain of verbal episodic memory. However, prior work has not sufficiently considered that the memory effects of cannabis are the compound action of different cannabinoids, which vary in their pharmacology and effects. Specifically, CBD, a non-psychotomimetic component of cannabis (doesn't produce a "high"), is thought to have cognitively protective properties and may mitigate some of the harmful effects of THC. Further, few prior studies have tested the effects of high potency strains that are commonly available.

This study tests the effects of commercially available cannabis flower strains on recognition memory performance and ERPs that are related to different underlying memory processes in healthy, regular cannabis users. An episodic memory task is used to assess recognition memory, which asks participants to discriminate between previously studied and non-studied items using words as stimuli. Participants complete the same memory task while intoxicated one day and not intoxicated another day. A THC-dominant, a CBD-dominant, and a strain containing both THC and CBD are included in the study. Participants self-administer one of the three cannabis strains prior to memory encoding and retrieval.

Blood is collected to determine THC and CBD exposure, as well as to explore how genetic variation in genes related to cannabinoid metabolism, cannabis-related behavior, and neurocognitive function associate with memory function before and after cannabis use. Participants also complete self-report measures of medical history, sleep quality, subjective cognitive function, physical activity, psychological functioning, substance use, and acute drug effects.

Conditions

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Cannabis Memory Electroencephalography

Keywords

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Cannabis Marijuana Memory Event-related potential Electroencephalography THC CBD Verbal learning Episodic memory

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Interventions

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Cannabis (smoked flower)

Self-Directed Use (ad-libitum)

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Must be between the ages of 21 and 40 and provide informed consent.
* Must be right-handed (Laterality Quotient \> 60 on Edinburgh Handedness Inventory - Short Form).
* Must use cannabis at least 4 days during the month.
* Must be a cannabis user for at least a year.
* Must self-report not using other illicit recreational drugs (e.g., cocaine, benzodiazepines (non-prescription), opiates (non-prescription), MDMA, sedatives, or methamphetamine) in the past 30 days.
* Must not test positive on a urine toxicology test for drugs of abuse.
* Must not be using psychotropic medications, however anti-depressant, non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety, and ADHD medications are ok. ADHD medication users must be willing to abstain from ADHD medication use on appointment days.
* Must not be a regular tobacco user (≤4 days per week; cigarette, E-cigs, or smokeless).
* Must not have used caffeine or tobacco (cigarette, E-cigs, or smokeless) for 4 hours prior to appointments.
* Must have a breath alcohol level of 0 to sign consent form.
* Must not be actively seeking or in treatment for any substance use disorder.
* Female subjects must not be or trying to become pregnant.
* Must not be in treatment for psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder; or have a history with these disorders.
* Must not have any physical characteristics (e.g., thick hair, head size exceeding the limit of the net, dyed hair) or experience any technical difficulties during testing that result in a poor-quality EEG recording.
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

40 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Colorado, Boulder

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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L. Cinnamon Bidwell

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Tim Curran, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Colorado, Boulder

L. Cinnamon Bidwell, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Colorado, Boulder

Locations

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Center for Innovation and Creativity

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Related Links

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Other Identifiers

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R01DA052431

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

20-0309: Experiment 1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id