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Clinical Trials/NCT06758596
NCT06758596
Not yet recruiting
Early Phase 1

Research Investigating Drug Effects-2 (RiDE-2)

University of Illinois at Chicago1 site in 1 country144 target enrollmentJuly 15, 2026

Overview

Phase
Early Phase 1
Intervention
Placebo Oral Capsule
Conditions
Cannabis Use
Sponsor
University of Illinois at Chicago
Enrollment
144
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
Recent Substance Use
Status
Not yet recruiting
Last Updated
7 months ago

Overview

Brief Summary

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.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
July 15, 2026
End Date
June 1, 2031
Last Updated
7 months ago
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Crossover
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Sponsor

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • age 18-21 at eligibility visit
  • body mass index of 18.5-30
  • report using cannabis ≥10 times in their life and ≥1 time in the past 3 months, but \<7 days a week (daily)
  • medically and neurologically healthy
  • score of ≥0.25 on the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) Anhedonia subscale

Exclusion Criteria

  • positive urine drug screen (UDS; except for THC) and/or positive saliva THC test
  • contraindication for fMRI BOLD study (e.g., metal implants)
  • severe mental illness (e.g., psychosis, mania, lifetime moderate-to-severe SUD (including moderate-to-severe CUD))
  • heavy nicotine use in the past month (\>20 cigarettes per week or electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use equivalent
  • night shift work
  • females who are currently pregnant confirmed by urine pregnancy test, are planning pregnancy, or are lactating
  • unwilling/unable to sign informed consent document
  • current or past allergic or adverse reaction or known sensitivity to cannabinoid-like substances (Dronabinol/Marijuana/Cannabis/THC, cannabinoid oil, sesame oil, gelatin, glycerin, and titanium dioxide)
  • physical or neurological diagnoses (e.g., cancer, diabetes, seizure disorder, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, loss of consciousness \>10 min., etc.) that in the opinion of the Study Physician and Investigators could increase safety risks or influence the findings
  • currently taking any medication that could interact with a single dose of Δ9-THC

Arms & Interventions

Placebo oral capsule

Participants will receive a placebo at their first or second laboratory visit.

Intervention: Placebo Oral Capsule

THC

Participants will receive THC (7.5 mg) at their first or second laboratory visit.

Intervention: THC

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Recent Substance Use

Time Frame: Baseline screening, baseline drug administration, and every 6 months over two years of follow-up

Participants will complete the 6-month Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) and Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory (DFAQ-CU) to assess recent substance use. This measure will capture the frequency of substance use during the past 6 months, with greater values indicating more frequent substance use.

CUD/SUD Symptoms

Time Frame: Baseline screening and yearly over the two-year follow-up.

Participants will complete the SCID CUD diagnosis and symptom assessment at baseline screening and yearly follow-ups to evaluate the presence and severity of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and other substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms.

Computationally-Derived Behavioral Reward Learning Rate - Learning rate (alpha parameter)

Time Frame: First and second laboratory visits, around 90 minutes to 2 hours after drug administration.

Participants will complete the Bandit task during fMRI scanning. A behavioral measure of learning rate (alpha parameter) will be derived from computational models based on the Rescorla-Wagner (RW) model, with higher learning rates indicating greater learning and adaptation to reward contingencies.

Neural Reward Anticipation - fMRI response to reward anticipation (MID)

Time Frame: First and second laboratory visits, around 90 minutes to 2 hours after drug administration.

Participants will complete the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task during fMRI scanning to assess neural activation related to reward anticipation. Greater activation in reward-related brain regions (e.g., striatum, prefrontal cortex) indicates greater neural sensitivity to anticipated rewards and the impact of THC on reward processing.

Computationally-Derived Behavioral Reward Sensitivity - Reward sensitivity (inverse temperature parameter)

Time Frame: First and second laboratory visits, around 90 minutes to 2 hours after drug administration.

Participants will complete the Bandit task during fMRI scanning, and a behavioral measure of reward sensitivity will be derived from the Rescorla-Wagner (RW) model. Greater values indicate higher sensitivity to rewards and a stronger preference for rewarding outcomes.

Neural Encoding of Reward Prediction Errors - fMRI response to reward prediction errors (Bandit Task)

Time Frame: First and second laboratory visits, around 90 minutes to 2 hours after drug administration.

Participants will complete the Bandit task during fMRI scanning. fMRI analysis will focus on trial-wise neural encoding of prediction errors, with greater activation indicating more salient reward learning signals in response to prediction errors, reflecting how the brain processes unexpected outcomes during reward learning.

Study Sites (1)

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