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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07746440

Impact of Cannabis Use and Abstinence on Emotion

The goal of this experimental study is to test how three weeks of cannabis abstinence impacts threat and reward processing in females with Cannabis Use Disorder. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Compared to using cannabis as usual, will cannabis cue reactivity increase throughout three weeks of abstinence from cannabis?

Compared to using cannabis as usual, will threat reactivity be elevated at weeks 1 and 2 of abstinence followed by a decrease at week 3 of abstinence?

Compared to using cannabis as usual, will non-drug reward reactivity be lower at weeks 1 and 2 of abstinence followed by an increase at week 3 of abstinence?

Compared to successful 3-week abstainers, will threat, non-drug reward, and cannabis cue reactivity differ in relapsers?

Researchers will compare females with CUD who abstain from cannabis for three weeks to those who continue to use cannabis as usual to see how cannabis abstinence impacts threat and reward processing.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to continue using cannabis as usual or abstain from cannabis for three weeks Visit the lab 6 times over three weeks, followed by a 1-month follow-up lab visit for the participants assigned to the cannabis abstinence condition Complete phone surveys every other day across the three week study period

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Key information

Conditions

Cannabis Use Disorder, Severe

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The BRAINS Lab in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida, 32304, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • >=5 cannabis use days per week on average over the past 3 months
  • Female
  • >=6 past-year CUD symptoms (must include withdrawal and at least one criterion other than craving must be met within the past 3 months)
  • >=20 days of cannabis use over the past 30 days
  • Positive urinalysis for THC
  • Cannabis is primary substance of abuse

Exclusion criteria

  • Current pregnancy
  • History of psychotic, seizure, or cardiovascular disorder
  • Immediate plan to quit cannabis
  • Current treatment for cannabis use
  • Current daily psychotropic medication use
  • Lotion allergy
  • Positive urinalysis for any drug other than THC
  • CSRSS >= 4
  • Current moderate (4+ criteria) or severe (6+ criteria) substance use disorder (SUD) other than CUD or nicotine dependence
  • CBD use >= 9 days

Treatment and study plan

Contingency management for cannabis abstinence and lab visit attendance

Behavioral

Escalating monetary reinforcement is provided for continuous cannabis abstinence and lab visit attendance across the three week study period.

Contingency management for lab visit attendance

Behavioral

Escalating monetary reinforcement is provided for lab visit attendance across the three week study period.

Primary outcomes

  1. Late Positive Potential

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and (for contingency management abstinence group only) One-Month Follow-Up

    The Late Positive Potential (neural measure recorded via electroencephalography) will be quantified from ~400 to 3000ms at central-parietal sensors relative to the onset of a cannabis, neutral, unpleasant, or pleasant image. The Late Positive Potential to cannabis vs. neutral and cannabis vs. pleasant will be the primary contrasts of interest.

  2. Reward Positivity

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and (for contingency management abstinence group only) One-Month Follow-Up

    The Reward Positivity (neural measure recorded via electroencephalography) will be quantified from ~200-300ms at frontal-central sensors relative to the onset of monetary win and loss feedback. The win vs. loss contrast will be the primary outcome of interest.

  3. Eyeblink Startle Response

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and (for contingency management abstinence group only) One-Month Follow-Up

    The Eyeblink Startle Response (recorded via EMG sensors) will be quantified as the peak blink amplitude relative to the onset of an auditory startle probe during blocks with predictable shocks, unpredictable shocks, and no threat of shock. The Eyeblink Startle Response during unpredictable shock threat vs. no shock threat will be the primary contrast of interest.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Delta Power

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and (for contingency management abstinence group only) One-Month Follow-Up

    Delta Power (neural time-frequency measure recorded via electroencephalography) will be quantified as event-related spectral power from 1-3.5Hz at frontal-central sensors relative to the onset of monetary win and loss feedback. The win vs. loss contrast will be the primary outcome of interest.

  2. Delta Intertrial Phase Coherence

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and (for contingency management abstinence group only) One-Month Follow-Up

    Delta Intertrial Phase Coherence (neural time-frequency measure recorded via electroencephalography) will be quantified as intertrial phase coherence of 1-3.5Hz oscillations at frontal-central sensors relative to the onset of monetary win and loss feedback. The win vs. loss contrast will be the primary outcome of interest.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Florida State University

Other

Collaborators

  • Auburn University

Registry information

Official study title

Impact of Cannabis Withdrawal and Early Abstinence on Threat and Reward Processing

Acronym: ICAE

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Aug 5, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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