Social and Emotional Brain Function in Cannabis Users

Long-term Effects of Cannabis Use on Social and Emotional Brain Processes in Dependent Cannabis Users After a 28 Day Abstinence Period

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02711371

Enrollment

Registered

2016-03-17

Start date

2015-07-31

Completion date

2016-12-31

Last updated

2017-02-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cannabis Dependence

Keywords

addiction, cannabis, fMRI

Brief summary

The aim of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study is to find out whether and how social and emotional brain function are altered in dependent cannabis users relative to healthy non-using control subjects after a 28 supervised abstinence period. Previous research in cannabis users has predominantly focused on cognitive functions. Moreover, studies have implicated that observed deficits in cannabis users may regenerate after a prolonged abstinence period. Findings might provide important information with respect to relapse vulnerability.

Interventions

OTHERfMRI

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Cannabis dependence according to DSM 4 criteria * 28 days of supervised abstinence

Exclusion criteria

* other DSM 4 diagnosis * neurological disorders

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
fMRI neural activation patterns of social-emotional brain processes after 28 day abstinence	one timepoint = fMRI assessment after 28 day abstinence period	Activity patterns in core regions of the emotion processing & addiction-related brain networks (e.g. striatal regions, insular cortex, prefrontal cortex) will be assessed after 28-days of abstinence. Alterations will be determined by comparison with matched non-drug using controls

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Ratings of subjective experience (pleasantness, rewarding value) will be assessed after 28 days of abstinence	one timepoint = during fMRI assessment after 28 day abstinence period	Self-reported ratings of pleasantness & rewarding value during soft-pleasant touch.
Relapse interview assessed with Timeline-Followback Method	one timepoint = 24 months post-fMRI-session	Association between fMRI neural correlates and drug use during follow up period as predictor of relapse

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026