A mindfulness-based intervention to reduce altered brain reward function in cannabis use disorder: a double-blind, active and passive, randomised controlled fMRI trial.
Emillie Beyer, Martine Skumlien, Govinda Poudel, Arush Honnedevasthana Arun, Eugene McTavish, Hannah Thomson, Hannah Sehl, Rebecca A. Segrave, Adam Clemente, Izelle Labuschagne, Peter G. Rendell, Gill Terrett, L. Greenwood, Victoria Manning, Tom P. Freeman, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Chao Suo, Valentina Lorenzetti
Psychopharmacology May 7, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-026-07073-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 49 |
| Population | Individuals with moderate-to-severe Cannabis Use Disorder |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based intervention Relaxation |
| Duration | 2-week intervention |
| Measures | Monetary Incentive Delay fMRI task |
| Topics | Cannabis Meditation |
| Key findings | A 2-week mindfulness-based intervention altered brain activity in regions outside the a priori reward network, such as decreasing cerebellar activity during reward anticipation and increasing parietal activity during reward receipt, whereas relaxation and no intervention produced distinct changes in partially overlapping regions; no significant effects were found in predefined reward regions. |
Abstract
Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) affects ~ 50 million individuals worldwide and is associated with alterations in brain reward pathways. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) show promise in reducing substance use and aberrant brain function in substance use disorders (SUD), but the effects on CUD or brain reward function have not been investigated. To examine whether a 2-week MBI vs. active control (i.e., closely matched relaxation) and passive control (i.e., no intervention) affected brain reward function in CUD using the Monetary Incentive Delay fMRI task, 49 individuals with moderate-to-severe CUD were randomised to: a 2-week MBI (n = 18), active control condition (n = 15), or passive control condition (n = 16), and assessed before and after the intervention. The effect of intervention-by-time was analysed using an exploratory whole-brain approach and a priori regions-of-interest approach (ROIs; ventral striatum, dorsal caudate, putamen, insula, cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices). Whole-brain results revealed significant intervention-by-time effects. Post-MBI, there was: decreased cerebellum activity while anticipating monetary cues, increased parietal activity while receiving monetary wins, and decreased fusiform/superior frontal gyri (SFG) activity while receiving monetary wins. Post-relaxation, activity increased in several regions (i.e., hippocampus, insula, parietal cortex, fusiform, and SFG) during the receipt of monetary wins. Post-no intervention, activity increased in the cerebellum while anticipating monetary cues, and decreased in other areas (i.e., parietal cortex, hippocampus, and insula) while receiving monetary wins. There were no significant intervention-by-time effects using the ROI approach. Overall, MBI, matched relaxation, and no intervention may share changes in partially overlapping brain regions in distinct directions.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Healthy participants | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 48 |
| Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Healthy, English-native, right-handed men who had used cannabis 15 times or less in... | 2009 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial | n = 15 |
| Acute Effects of a Single, Oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) Administration in Healthy Volunteers Healthy male subjects | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 16 |
| Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Healthy, native English-speaking, right-handed men of white race/ethnicity who had used... | 2009 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 15 |
| Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Healthy volunteers with a history of light cannabis use | 2019 | Randomized, double-blind, within-subjects crossover | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- The Meditative Mind: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of MRI Studies BioMed Research International 2015
- Ultra-Brief Mindfulness Training Reduces Alcohol Consumption in At-Risk Drinkers: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Experiment The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology July 28, 2017
- Do mindfulness-based interventions change brain function in people with substance dependence? A systematic review of the fMRI evidence. BMC Psychiatry June 7, 2023
- A systematic review of the barriers and facilitators to adherence to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for those with chronic conditions. British Journal of Health Psychology October 31, 2022
- Regular cannabis use is associated with altered activation of central executive and default mode networks even after prolonged abstinence in adolescent users: Results from a complementary meta-analysis Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2019
and 3 more in the library