Sex Differences in Neurobehavioral Response to THC

Sex Differences in Neurobehavioral Response to Acute THC in Adults With Cannabis Use Disorder

Status

Terminated

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07225777

Enrollment

Registered

2025-11-10

Start date

2026-04-27

Completion date

2026-08-31

Last updated

2026-09-08

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

Conditions

Cannabis Use Disorder

Keywords

Substance Use

Brief summary

This study investigates sex differences in reward processing following acute THC administration in adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD). Using multimodal neuroimaging (MRS and fMRI), the study will assess glutamate levels in the nucleus accumbens and striatal BOLD response to monetary reward anticipation. Participants will complete two counterbalanced dosing sessions (oral THC 40 mg vs. placebo).

Interventions

DRUGDronabinol

Oral dronabinol capsules (40 mg)

DRUGPlacebo

Matched placebo capsules

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

21 Years to 45 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Age 21-45 * DSM-5 criteria for CUD * Cannabis use ≥4 days/week * THC-positive urine * BMI 18-30 * Regular menstrual cycle (females) * Willingness to use non-hormonal birth control (females)

Exclusion criteria

* Lifetime psychotic or bipolar disorder * Recent drug use other than cannabis * Current psychotropic medication * Treatment-seeking for SUD * Current psychiatric disorder (except mild alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine use disorder) * Pregnancy/nursing * MRI contraindications

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Nucleus accumbens glutamate	2 hours post-dose	Concentrations of nucleus accumbens glutamate measured via proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Striatal reward anticipation	3 hours post-dose	Blood oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signaling in the striatum (caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens) measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a monetary reward task

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ) - Like Drug Effect	0-7 hours	Visual Analog Scale rating of subjective drug liking included in the Drug Effects Questionnaire. Score ranges from 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely) using a 100mm line anchored with none/extreme designation.
Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ) - Want More	0-7 hours	Visual Analog Scale rating of subjective desire for more of the same drug included in the Drug Effects Questionnaire. Score ranges from 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely) using a 100mm line anchored with none/extreme designation.
Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ) - High	0-7 hours	Visual Analog Scale rating of subjective "high" included in the Drug Effects Questionnaire. Score ranges from 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely) using a 100mm line anchored with none/extreme designation.
Nucleus accumbens GABA	2 hours post-dose	Concentrations of nucleus accumbens GABA measured via proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORErin Martin, Ph.D.

Medical University of South Carolina

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 9, 2026