Stress and Marijuana Cue-elicited Craving and Reactivity

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: 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: 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.

Recruitment & Eligibility

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)

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Stress + cue exposure	Stress + cue exposure	Individuals were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) as well as neutral cues and marijana cues.
No stress + cue exposure	No stress + cue exposure	Individuals were not exposed to a stress test, but were exposed to neutral cues and marijuana cues.

Primary Outcome Measures

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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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