Pilot Study on Aging and THC Effects on Memory
This study is looking into how THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active ingredient in cannabis, affects different types of memory and learning. Researchers will compare the effects of vaporized THC cannabis to a placebo (cannabis with no THC) in adults aged 18 to 75. You might be eligible if you've used cannabis in the past two years and felt "high" from it, and can read and understand English. The study aims to see how THC impacts memory tasks and brain activity using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), which measures brain activity. The study plans to enroll 10 participants, but its current status is unclear.
- Study design
- This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with 10 participants. This means neither you nor the study staff will know if you're receiving THC or the placebo, and participants are assigned randomly.
- What's involved
- You will have an initial screening visit, followed by two assessment sessions where you will receive either THC or placebo. During these sessions, you will complete memory tasks while in an MRI scanner and other computer-based tasks.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- The primary memory and effort tasks are measured at sessions 1 and 2, immediately after drug administration. The record does not specify follow-up after these sessions.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
Pilot fMRI Studies of Aging-Related Effects of THC
At a glance
Conditions
Where it's being run
1 sites across 1 statesStudy leadership
- Godfrey Pearlson, M.D · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Founding Director, Olin Neuropsychiatry Center; Yale University
Who to contact
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Do you actually qualify for this trial?
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Inclusion
Exclusion
What this trial measures
- The Complex Working Memory Span (CWMS) Task- Items RecalledAt sessions 1 and 2 while under fMRI, immediately post drug administration
CWMS Task assesses immediate plus delayed recall and working memory by assessing working memory capacity by presenting a list of stimuli to be recalled while simultaneously performing a secondary task. This task uses a fully crossed design which includes both same-domain CWMS conditions (e.g. verbal storage combined with verbal processing) as well as cross-domain CWMS conditions (e.g., verbal storage combined with spatial processing). Mean number of total items recalled.
- The Complex Working Memory Span (CWMS) Task- fMRI measureAt sessions 1 and 2 while under fMRI, immediately post drug administration
CWMS Task assesses immediate plus delayed recall and working memory by assessing working memory capacity by presenting a list of stimuli to be recalled while simultaneously performing a secondary task. This task uses a fully crossed design which includes both same-domain CWMS conditions (e.g. verbal storage combined with verbal processing) as well as cross-domain CWMS conditions (e.g., verbal storage combined with spatial processing). BOLD signal Infrontal lobe.
- The Effort Expenditure for Reward Task (EEfRT)At sessions 1 and 2 immediately post drug administration
(EEfRT) is an out-of-scanner measure of effort-based decision-making that utilizes a choice model ("easy-task" or "hard-task") in response to varying monetary rewards. This task assesses motivation in relation to reward magnitude, implicating the activation or suppression of dopaminergic pathways in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Percentage of hard-task choices across all levels of probability is calculated from all hard choices. Lower percentages of hard task choices indicate decreased motivation.
- The Card-Guessing fMRI taskAt sessions 1 and 2 while under fMRI, immediately post drug administration
The Card-Guessing fMRI task (28) will be used to investigate the effects of acute THC intoxication on decision-making, risk-taking, and reward processing. This task involves various trial types including win, loss, disappointment, and relief, to assess how THC affects reward expectancy and prediction error processing during decision-making presented as the fMRI blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal in response to card-guessing task.
- The Zibrio SmartScaleAt sessions 1 and 2 while under fMRI, immediately post drug administration
The Zibrio SmartScale aggregates balance data to create a "Balance Score", which assesses postural sway with respect to balance ability and fall risk. Total score range 1 and 10. A lower score indicates a higher risk of falling.