Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Neuroimaging of Adolescent Cannabis Use Treatment

ConditionsCannabis UseCannabis DependenceCannabis Use DisorderCannabis AbuseCannabis IntoxicationCannabis SmokingCannabis WithdrawalCannabis-Related DisorderCannabis Abuse, in RemissionCannabis Abuse, Episodic UseMarijuanaMarijuana AbuseMarijuana UseMarijuana SmokingMarijuana DependenceMarijuana UserMarijuana-Related DisorderMarijuana Use DisorderAddictionAddiction, SubstanceSubstance UseSubstance Use DisordersSubstance DependenceSubstance AbuseSubstance Related ProblemSubstance Abuse Drug Chronic
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age14-17
SponsorIndiana University

About this trial

This study is testing whether brain activity related to learning can help predict how well teens respond to a treatment program designed to reduce cannabis use. Teens ages 14-17 will complete a brain scan and then take part in 10 weekly virtual sessions where they report cannabis use and complete drug tests at home. Participants can earn prizes for staying cannabis-free.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

14-17 year old youth

Guardian 18 years or older

Youth is MRI-eligible: No metal implants, prosthetics, orthodontic devices, transdermal medication patches, piercings and/or hair or eyelash extensions that cannot easily be removed, metallic ink tattoos on the neck or face, or claustrophobia, and are not pregnant

Youth must endorse having used cannabis at least once per week over the past month OR youth must have been diagnosed with cannabis use disorder within the past three months

Disqualifiers

Youth has a history of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, intellectual disorders, pervasive development disorder or autism spectrum disorder, psychotic disorders, history of neurological problems (epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, cerebrovascular disease) by parent/guardian report

Youth or caretaker who is monolingual non-English speaker

Youth who is currently experiencing active psychosis symptoms or suicidal/homicidal ideation or who has been hospitalized within the past 6 months for psychosis or suicidality/homicidality

Youth who is currently undergoing contingency management treatment for cannabis use disorder

Trial design

Design model

Single group

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Contingency Management

    Behavioral

    Contingency management is an evidence-based behavioral intervention used to treat substance use disorders, including cannabis use disorder (CUD). Contingency management operates on the principles of instrumental learning, where positive reinforcement is used to encourage desired behaviors, such as abstinence from cannabis. First, specific target behaviors are identified for reinforcement. In CUD, this is often abstinence from cannabis use, verified through regular urine drug screens and self-reports. If the target behavior (i.e., abstaining from cannabis for a specified time period) is achieved, then patients receive tangible rewards immediately after attaining the target behavior. These rewards are often in the form of money, vouchers, or other incentives that are meaningful to the individual. We will examine whether success during contingency management treatment for cannabis use is associated with neural activity during instrumental learning in N=80 adolescents ages 14-17.

  • Elastic Net Regression

    Device

    We will apply an elastic net regression model to the neuroimaging data to estimate CUDIT score based on neuroimaging data.

Treatment groups

80 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment group
Group A: Contingency Management and Elastic Net RegressionOther 2 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Cannabis use frequency

The investigators will measure cannabis use frequency via percent of days where cannabis was used over the past 30 days via the Timeline Followback Scale (Sobell and Sobell, 1992)

Time frame
Screening and Post-Intervention Follow-Up Visit (2-4 weeks after last CM visit)
2

Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT) Score

The CUDIT (Adamson et al., 2010) is a measure of cannabis use disorder symptom level. This scale is an 8-item scale that asks about cannabis use disorder symptoms over the past year and is scored on a scale of 0 (no cannabis use in the past year) to 32 (daily cannabis use, physical and psychological dependence symptoms, severe cannabis misuse). The CUDIT will be measured once at the baseline screening visit.

Time frame
Baseline

Secondary outcomes

1

Total quantity of cannabis use

The investigators will measure cannabis use quantity via the Timeline Followback Scale (Sobell and Sobell, 1992). For each day participants report cannabis use on the Timeline Followback Scale, participants will be asked to estimate the number of grams of cannabis used.

Time frame
Screening and Post-Intervention Follow-Up Visit (2-4 weeks after last CM visit)
2

Cannabis withdrawal

Cannabis withdrawal will be measured at 12 different time points via the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale (Milin, Manion, Dare, and Walker, 2008). The Cannabis Withdrawal Scale is a 16-item scale that evaluates cannabis withdrawal symptoms, such as sleep difficulties, nervousness, anxiety, tension, and cravings for cannabis. This scale will be administered at the scanning visit, each of the 10 contingency management visits, and at the follow-up visit.

Time frame
Screening and Post-Intervention Follow-Up Visit (2-4 weeks after last CM visit)
3

Cannabis expectancy

Cannabis expectancy will be measured at 2 time points via the Marijuana Effects Expectancy Scale-Brief (Torrealday et al., 2008). The Marijuana Effects Expectancy Scale-Brief is a six item scale that measures expected effects (relaxation, reduced anxiety, cravings) of marijuana use. This scale will be administered at the scanning visit and the follow-up visit.

Time frame
Screening and Post-Intervention Follow-Up Visit (2-4 weeks after last CM visit)
4

Proportion of negative cannabis urine drug screen

Urine drug screens will be collected at each visit (13 total). The investigators will track the proportion of urine drug screens that are negative over all visits and that are negative over the 10 contingency management visits.

Time frame
Screening, Baseline, once weekly at each CM visit, and Post-Intervention Follow-Up Visit (2-4 weeks after last CM visit)

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Indiana University

Lead sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Collaborator

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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