fMRI study of neural sensitization to hedonic stimuli in long-term, daily cannabis users.
Francesca Filbey, Joseph Dunlop, Ariel Ketcherside, Jessica Baine, Tyler Rhinehardt, Brittany Kuhn, Sam DeWitt, Talha Alvi
Human Brain Mapping October 2016 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23250 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional fMRI study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 121 |
| Population | 53 daily, long-term cannabis users and 68 non-using controls |
| Topics | Addiction Cannabis |
| Keywords | Cannabis use disorder Cue-elicited craving FMRI Mesocorticolimbic Reward |
| Key findings | Cannabis users showed greater brain response to cannabis cues than to natural reward (fruit) cues in orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, anterior cingulate gyrus, and ventral tegmental area, compared with non-users. Among users, neural response to cannabis cues correlated positively with subjective craving, marijuana-related problems, withdrawal symptoms, and THC metabolite levels. The authors argue these findings indicate specific hyper-responsivity to cannabis cues consistent with incentive sensitization models. |
Abstract
Although there is emergent evidence illustrating neural sensitivity to cannabis cues in cannabis users, the specificity of this effect to cannabis cues as opposed to a generalized hyper-sensitivity to hedonic stimuli has not yet been directly tested. Using fMRI, we presented 53 daily, long-term cannabis users and 68 non-using controls visual and tactile cues for cannabis, a natural reward, and, a sensory-perceptual control object to evaluate brain response to hedonic stimuli in cannabis users. The results showed an interaction between group and reward type such that the users had greater response during cannabis cues relative to natural reward cues (i.e., fruit) in the orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, anterior cingulate gyrus, and ventral tegmental area compared to non-users (cluster-threshold z = 2.3, P < 0.05). In the users, there were positive brain-behavior correlations between neural response to cannabis cues in fronto-striatal-temporal regions and subjective craving, marijuana-related problems, withdrawal symptoms, and levels of THC metabolites (cluster-threshold z = 2.3, P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate hyper-responsivity, and, specificity of brain response to cannabis cues in long-term cannabis users that are above that of response to natural reward cues. These observations are concordant with incentive sensitization models suggesting sensitization of mesocorticolimbic regions and disruption of natural reward processes following drug use. Although the cross-sectional nature of this study does not provide information on causality, the positive correlations between neural response and indicators of cannabis use (i.e., THC levels) suggest that alterations in the reward system are, in part, related to cannabis use. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3431-3443, 2016. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked Cannabis' Psychomotor and Neurocognitive Effects in Occasional and Frequent Smokers Occasional (<2x/week) and frequent (≥4x/week) cannabis smokers | 2015 | Controlled within-subjects study | n = 25 |
| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users | 2018 | Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) | n = 410 |
| Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers | 2018 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... | 2019 | Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation | n = 40 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Shifted balance of dorsal versus ventral striatal communication with frontal reward and regulatory regions in cannabis‐dependent males Human Brain Mapping September 12, 2018
- Testing the role of the posterior cingulate cortex in processing salient stimuli in cannabis users: an rTMS study European Journal of Neuroscience October 6, 2018
- Cannabis Use and Neuroadaptation: A Call for Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Challenge Studies Frontiers in Psychiatry April 14, 2022
- Cannabis Use, Schizotypy and Kamin Blocking Performance Frontiers in Psychiatry November 23, 2021
- Daily Cannabidiol Administration for 10 Weeks Modulates Hippocampal and Amygdalar Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Cannabis Users: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Open-Label Clinical Trial Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research July 26, 2023
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