Stress and Marijuana Cue-elicited Craving and Reactivity

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction between stress and marijuana cues, in hopes that it may lead to the development of new treatments for marijuana dependence.

Detailed Description
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Although use of marijuana is widespread, little research has focused on the treatment of marijuana use disorders or on predictors of relapse. Although several factors contributing to relapse have been explored in other dependencies (i.e., alcohol, cocaine), little research has focused on drug cue-related or stress-induced relapse in marijuana-dependent individuals. Cue reactivity is a construct measured in a laboratory procedure where an individual's subjective, behavioral, and physiological responses are assessed following exposure to drug-related environmental cues or stressors. Investigating the effects of drug-related environmental cues and stress in marijuana-dependent individuals will be useful in guiding treatment development.

Official Title
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Stress and Marijuana Cue-elicited Craving and Reactivity

Conditions
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Cannabis Use Disorders

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Stress + cue exposure
* Other: No stress + cue exposure


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Meets Diagnostic and Statistical Methods (DSM)-IV Criteria for Marijuana Dependence Between the ages of 18 and 65 Must abstain from marijuana use the day of testing and other drug use three days prior to testing Exclusion Criteria: Must not be taking any psychoactive medication, or medication that alters the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) Axis functioning Must not be taking any medications that alter heart rate or skin conductance monitoring Cannot meet criteria for current major Axis I disorder (may alter response to stress) Cannot be morbidly obese (Body Mass Index >39) Cannot meet current abuse or dependence criteria of other substances in past 90 days Must not have a medical condition that impacts HPA functioning (Hypertension, chronic pain, Addison's disease)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Stress + cue exposure<br>Individuals were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) as well as neutral cues and marijana cues. | Other: Stress + cue exposure<br>* Trier Social Stress Task(TSST): subject is asked to give a talk and perform a math task in front of an audience, follwed by neutral and marijuana cue exposure.<br>* Other names: Stress stask, TSST;|
| Experimental: No stress + cue exposure<br>Individuals were not exposed to a stress test, but were exposed to neutral cues and marijuana cues. | Other: No stress + cue exposure<br>* Neutral and marijuana-associated cue exposure (scripted imagery, in vivo cues).<br>* Other names: marijuana cue exposure, neutral cue exposure;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subjective Craving of Marijuana | Defined as the score on the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire (MCQ), range 7-84, higher scores indicate more craving | approx 2.5 hours (before, during and after exposure to stressor condition as well as exposure to neutral and marijuana-associated cues). | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Physiological Assessments: Serum Cortisol, ACTH, BP, HR, and GSR |  |   2.5 hours (before, during and after exposure to stressor condition as well as exposure to neutral and marijuana-associated cues). | 
| Feelings of Stress/Anxiety as Measured by the State-Trait Inventory (STAI) |  |  2 hours | 
| Current Mood as Assessed by the Mood Form |  |  2 hours | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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substance-related disorders