Clinical Research Directory

Acute Effects of Cannabis on Cognition and Affect

This study will examine how a moderate dose of THC affects mood and cognitive functioning in regular cannabis users. The study uses a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, meaning each participant will complete two sessions. Specifically, each participant will be given active cannabis (20 mg THC) in one session, and placebo in the other session. The order will be randomized across participants, so half will receive cannabis first, and the other half will receive placebo first. Ninety two adults who use cannabis at least weekly will be recruited from the local community. After an online screening survey, eligible participants will attend a laboratory visit where the participants will provide informed consent and complete saliva and urine drug tests to confirm recent abstinence from cannabis and absence of other drugs. Participants who pass screening will complete baseline questionnaires of cannabis use patterns, depression, anxiety, ADHD symptoms, emotion regulation, affect, and demographic information. Cannabis and placebo materials (obtained from NIDA) will be vaporized using a Volcano vaporizer device. Participants will inhale the vapor under supervision of one of the PIs. Neither the participant nor the researcher assessing outcomes will know which product is administered. After vaping, participants will complete repeated affect ratings and a battery of cognitive tests assessing executive functions like planning, inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The participants will then watch a nature video and report their affect. At the end of each session, participants will remain in a supervised room with entertainment and snacks until at least four hours have passed since vaping and the participants report feeling sober. Their food consumption will be monitored and recorded. The participants will then return for a second session with the opposite study condition (THC or placebo) one week later. Both sessions follow the same procedures. Participants are fully debriefed after completing the study.

An App to Reduce Cannabis Use Among Emerging Adults

This study is being completed to pilot prevention methods to promote wellness and reduce risky behaviors, including the use of substances such as cannabis. This study will help researchers learn about ways of delivering this information that is both appealing and helpful to young adults who use mobile apps.

Effect of Extended Cannabis Abstinence on PTSD Symptoms

This will be a 12-week randomized trial. Outpatients and patients from the Mood and Anxiety program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) with a current diagnosis of post-traumatic stressed disorder (PTSD) and cannabis-use disorder (CUD) will be randomized to receive individual motivational interviewing therapy and contingency management (n = 12) or individual motivational interviewing therapy alone (control group, n = 12) after enrolment.

Study of an Oral Fluid Testing Approach

The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate oral fluid testing as a biologic measure of cannabis use days that can be assessed remotely. The researchers will conduct this fully virtual study among a community sample of 200 individuals aged 18-35 years who have used cannabis at least 1 time per week on average in the past 30 days. Participants will complete oral fluid (saliva) tests, urine tests, and Timeline Follow-back interviews (self-report) that indicate their recent cannabis use (delta-9-THC). Participants will present for 3 virtual study visits across \~ 3-4 weeks and be asked to complete activities in between: Study Visit 1 (Day 0; informed consent, baseline survey, TLFB interview), Study Visit 2 (\~ Day 7; TLFB interview, urine testing), 6 days of at-home videorecorded oral fluid testing, Study Visit 3 (\~ Day 28; TLFB interview, urine test, oral fluid test, survey, interview). Individuals age 18-35 are invited to screen here: https://redcap.link/softa-bch

Research Investigating Drug Effects-2 (RiDE-2)

The purpose of this study is to better understand how people's mood, behavior, and brains respond to different recreational drugs. We are also trying to understand why some people may feel differently or their brain may respond differently than other people after taking the same recreational drug.

MATAspire: Mental Health Awareness Tailored App for Substance Prevention and Integrated Resilience Education

The MATAspire intervention is a web-app designed to promote substance misuse prevention education and bolster protective coping skills whereby students complete six weekly interactive modules using a smart device or computer. Each module is approximately 15-20 minutes long and focuses on select substances and coping strategies: (i) adaptive coping strategies, (ii) alcohol, (iii) cannabis, (iv) nicotine, (v) prescription drugs and opioids, (vi) final module. The modules are based on key theoretical constructs, behavior change strategies, and practical module components: attitudes (knowledge), perceived susceptibility (risk perceptions), and subjective norms (normative re-education). The intervention will be evaluated via a time series design using a sample of (\~1000 students) randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control conditions at a public institution in Southern California.

SV2A in Older Adults

The aim of the study is to examine the effect of cannabis use on brain synaptic density among older adults using \[11C\]UCB-J PET imaging.

Examining the Role of Tolerance on Dose-dependent Effects of Acute THC on Oculomotor and Cognitive Performance

The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which oculomotor function accurately detects THC-impairment, if cannabis use experience impacts this detection threshold, and to examine how the oculomotor index corresponds to a measure of sustained attention. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects crossover design will be used to examine the dose-effects of THC (0, 5mg, 30mg) on oculomotor performance tasks and a sustained attention task in frequent and infrequent cannabis users. Results from the study will advance the investigators' understanding of the effect of THC and cannabis use frequency on oculomotor function and sustained attention, and will directly inform the validity of the investigators' oculomotor platform for identifying acute THC- induced impairment in frequent and infrequent users.

Cannabis Effects on Opioid Self-Administration

The study will enroll participants with opioid use disorder and participants will reside at the University of Kentucky Hospital for this 6-week inpatient trial. During this time, double-blind doses of cannabis and opioids will be administered. The goal of the project is to determine if cannabis can alter the drive/desire to take opioids.

Perceptions of Proposed Warnings for Cannabis Edibles Packaging

The purpose of this study is to compare a delayed-effects warning to an expanded warning developed in previous experiments on knowledge, harm perceptions, and willingness to try cannabis edibles. Additionally, this study will examine the effects of a corresponding icon on attention to and recall of the warning.

Cannabis and Opioid Use Disorder, Study 2

This inpatient study enrolls healthy individuals who have opioid use disorder. Participants live at the University of Kentucky Hospital for approx. 6 weeks. During this time, we will examine how repeated doses of oral cannabis and acute doses of oral and inhaled cannabis 1) modify the intensity and time course of opioid withdrawal, 2) modify the effects of intranasal opioid administration and 3) impact the safety of opioid administration.

Clinician Practice Companion to Address Youth Substance Use

Substance use, including the use of opioids, cannabis, and other drugs, is common among adolescents and young adults, and overdose has become a leading cause of death among youth in Canada and the United States. Many young people who use substances also experience co-occurring mental health concerns. Evidence-based approaches to youth substance use care exist, including overdose prevention and safety strategies (such as naloxone) and medications for addiction treatment. These approaches remain adult-oriented, however, unevenly implemented in youth-serving settings, and insufficiently centered on the needs and goals of youth and their families. This study develops and pilot tests a written "practice companion" that helps clinicians and other trusted adults provide developmentally appropriate substance use care to youth ages 14 to 24 in hospital and community settings. The practice companion offers practical, easy-to-use guidance organized by substance and by pattern of use. It addresses cannabis and other substances that youth commonly use and that clinicians frequently seek support with, alongside a strong focus on overdose prevention through its core elements: naloxone, other safety strategies, overdose prevention and safety education, and medications for opioid use disorder. It also attends to co-occurring mental health needs and to how poverty, housing instability, and other social circumstances shape substance use and access to care. The research team will first interview youth who use substances, their families and caregivers, and clinicians to learn how each element of care should be adapted for young people. The team will then produce the practice companion and pilot test it with 60 youth across three sites, in British Columbia, Québec, and Massachusetts. After receiving care guided by the practice companion, youth will complete an interview about whether the care was relevant, useful, appropriate, and acceptable. Families and clinicians will also be interviewed to assess how feasible, sustainable, and faithful to its design the practice companion is in practice. Throughout the study, the team will work closely with youth and families who have lived experience through a community-based participatory research approach that includes Community Advisory Boards. Findings will guide a larger future study of the practice companion's effectiveness.

Lung Health and Breath Biomarkers: Acute Effects of Inhaled Cannabis

This outpatient study examines how inhaled cannabis, combustible or vaporized, alters lung health and breath biomarkers compared to a tobacco cigarette.

Cannabis' Impact on Alcohol Consumption

This study employs a repeated measures experimental design to examine the effect of THC-dominant dose of cannabis and CBD-dominant dose of cannabis, relative to placebo, on subsequent drinking in an alcohol choice task in which participants choose either to drink or receive monetary reinforcement for drinks not consumed. Cannabis will be administered simultaneously with an alcohol-priming dose or alcohol placebo. The study will enroll up to 350 nontreatment-seeking heavy episodic alcohol drinkers who use cannabis weekly.

HIV and Alcohol Research Center Focused on Polypharmacy (HARP) Pilot 2 (2nd HARP Pilot Intervention)

The focus of this pilot will be on falls and neurocognitive symptoms, and the impact of alcohol, cannabis use, and medications on these outcomes. The rationale is that alcohol use at any level may interact with neurocognitively active medications, alcohol, and cannabis use leading to falls and impaired cognition.

Effects of Cannabis Species Labeling and Marketing on Perceptual, Subjective and Objective Use Outcomes (Aim 2 Study)

This study looks at how cannabis product label and marketing claims affect product perceptions, use expectancies, and use intentions among inexperienced and experienced cannabis users. Participants will answer online survey questions on their perceptions of a cannabis product advertisement.

Investigating the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Function in Psychosis Patients and Non-Psychiatric Controls With Cannabis Use

Cognitive impairment is well established in people with psychosis and is associated with cannabis use. The current study will investigate the neurobiological basis of cognitive change associated with 28-days of cannabis abstinence in people with psychosis and non-psychiatric controls with cannabis use. Participants will be randomized to a cannabis abstinent group or a non-abstinent control group and will undergo magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and following 28-days of abstinence. This study will help characterize the neuropathophysiological processes underlying cognitive dysfunction associated with cannabis use and its recovery which may guide the development of novel interventions for problematic cannabis use.

Activity-Based Intervention to Address Cannabis Use

This study is being completed to test a method to promote patient-centered outcomes among people who use cannabis behaviors.

Psychiatric Symptom Characteristics in Methamphetamine-Induced Psychosis With and Without Lifetime Cannabis Use

This prospective cohort study aims to investigate factors associated with psychiatric symptom severity in participants diagnosed with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MP) with and without lifetime cannabis use (LCU). Participants hospitalized at Elazığ Mental Health and Diseases Hospital who meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) criteria for MP will be included. Participants will be divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of LCU. Psychiatric symptoms and clinical characteristics will be assessed weekly during an eight-week inpatient follow-up period using standardized psychometric instruments. The study aims to determine whether LCU influences the course and severity of psychiatric symptoms in MP and to identify environmental, individual, and familial factors associated with symptom progression.

Gabapentin for Restoring GABA/Glutamate Homeostasis in Co-occurring Bipolar and Cannabis Use Disorders

This research study evaluates the effects of an FDA-approved medication Gabapentin in individuals with Bipolar Disorder who smoke marijuana. Participants in the study will will be assigned to take either Gabapentin or a matched placebo. Study medication will be taken for 17 days. There will be 5 study visits, with 2 MRI brain imaging scans completed. Questionnaires and clinical interview measures will be completed at study visits along with consistent assessment of potential side effects from study medication.

Effectiveness of Brief Intervention in Primary Care for Diverse Young People (Chat)

Brief motivational interviewing intervention to address alcohol use among diverse teens 12-17.

Influence of Tobacco Use on Cannabis Use

Cannabis smokers who also smoke tobacco cigarettes have markedly higher rates of cannabis relapse relative to those who do not use tobacco. There is a clear need to develop and evaluate interventions for dual tobacco and cannabis users. The investigators of this study have previously shown that the co-use of tobacco cigarettes contributes to the maintenance of daily cannabis use, and that age of cigarette onset is a critical predictor of treatment outcome. Short-term tobacco cessation may suffice in altering cannabis relapse rates in later-onset cigarette smokers, while a longer period of tobacco cessation may be needed for earlier-onset smokers. In the current study, a human laboratory model will be utilized to determine whether cannabis relapse varies as a function of tobacco cessation duration and age of tobacco use onset.

Wayne State Warriors Marijuana Clinical Research Program: Cannabinoid Adjunct to Prolonged Exposure & Recovery

The overall strategy is to recruit veterans with PTSD who report minimal current cannabis use but are interested in or considering therapeutic cannabis to manage mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, PTSD and/or suicidality). The information gained from this study could lead to the development of new treatments for persons who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and maintain better mental health.

Mobile Intervention for Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use in Young Adults

The goal of this treatment development project is to develop an adaptive ecological momentary intervention (a-EMI) for young adults using marijuana and alcohol that is grounded in self-regulation and social cognitive theories. To determine the most efficacious intervention strategies, the investigators will test variations of intervention components to identify the best combination. The study will take place at the Center for Integrated Health Care Research at Kaiser Permanente Hawaii (KPHI), located in Honolulu (island of Oahu). Following pilot testing with 6 participants, the study team will assess the feasibility and efficacy of intervention components on two primary outcomes (negative consequences and protective behavioral strategies \[PBS\]) using a fractional factorial experimental design, with post-intervention assessment and one- and three-month follow-ups. 136 diverse young adults recruited from KPHI who report current simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use will be randomly assigned to one of eight groups, representing experimental conditions that include or do not include intervention strategies focused on craving reduction and PBS. As a result of this process, individual and/or combined components that lead to improved outcomes will be retained in a subsequent randomized controlled trial, while ineffective components will be eliminated.