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Effects of Smoked Marijuana on Risk Taking and Decision Making Tasks

The recruitment status of this study is unknown because the information has not been verified recently.
Verified November 2006 by New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Recruitment status was  Recruiting
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Information provided by:
New York State Psychiatric Institute
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00373399
First received: September 7, 2006
Last updated: November 16, 2006
Last verified: November 2006
History of Changes
  Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of smoked marijuana on both risk taking and decision making tasks.


Condition Intervention Phase
Marijuana Use Disorders
 Drug: Marijuana
 Phase 2

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Non-Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Single Blind
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Effects of Smoked Marijuana on Risk Taking and Decision Making Tasks

Resource links provided by NLM:

MedlinePlus related topics: Marijuana Smoking
U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by New York State Psychiatric Institute:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • After smoking marijuana participants will demonstrate poorer decision-making abilities and increased risk-taking behaviors.

Estimated Enrollment: 30
Study Start Date: May 2006
Estimated Study Completion Date: November 2006
Detailed Description:

Cannabis abuse and dependence are the most prevalent drug use disorders in the United States (Compton et al., 2004), yet little is known about the factors contributing to successful marijuana treatment. Previously, we have shown that cognitive impairments in patients treated for substance disorders are associated with premature treatment dropout. However, little is known about whether such impairments are the result of drug use per se. The objective of this within-subject study is to determine whether decision-making and risk-taking are affected by acute cannabis intoxication. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART; Lejuez et al. 2002) assesses decision making in a context of increasing risk, and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; Bechara et al. 1994) tests the ability to balance immediate rewards against long-term negative consequences; both tasks have strong face validity for evaluating cognitive deficits that may contribute to poor treatment outcome. Research volunteers will be current marijuana smokers. Each will participate in three, 4-hour outpatient sessions in the Substance Use Research Center (SURC) in the Division of Substance Abuse at NYSPI. They will smoke a different strength marijuana cigarette (0.0, 1.98, 3.56% THC) in each session in counter-balanced order. After baseline data have been collected (risk taking and decision making behaviors, heart rate, blood pressure, mood scales, exhaled carbon monoxide), participants will take 3-6 puffs, 5 seconds in duration, from a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) marijuana cigarette. After smoking, we will repeatedly re-assess risk taking and decision making abilities with the BART and IGT. We will also measure subjective mood ratings, heart rate and blood pressure repeatedly for 180 minutes following smoking. This study is the first controlled investigation of the effects of smoked marijuana on both risk taking and decision making tasks. The data obtained will be used to guide treatment development for marijuana use disorders.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   21 Years to 45 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   Yes
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Current marijuana use
  • 21-45 years of age
  • Practicing an effective form of birth control
  • Not seeking treatment for marijuana use

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current, repeated illicit drug use other than marijuana
  • Presence of significant medical illness (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension)
  • Laboratory tests outside normal limits that are clinically unacceptable to the study physician (BP > 140/90; hematocrit < 34 for women, < 36 for men)
  • Significant adverse reaction to marijuana
  • Current parole or probation
  • Pregnancy or current lactation
  • Recent history of significant violent behavior
  • Major current Axis I psychopathology (e.g., mood disorder with functional impairment or suicide risk, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia
  • History of heart disease
  • Current use of any over-the-counter or prescription medication from which the volunteer cannot be withdrawn
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00373399

Contacts
Contact: Efrat Aharonovich, Ph.D. 212-543-5175
Contact: Margaret Haney, Ph.D. 212-543-5175

Locations
United States, New York
New York State Psychiatric Institute Recruiting
New York, New York, United States, 10032
Principal Investigator: Margaret Haney, Ph.D.            
Sponsors and Collaborators
New York State Psychiatric Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Margaret Haney, Ph.D. New York State Psychiatric Institute
Principal Investigator: Efrat Aharonovich, Ph.D. New York State Psyhciatric Institute
  More Information

No publications provided

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00373399     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: 5204
Study First Received: September 7, 2006
Last Updated: November 16, 2006
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board

Keywords provided by New York State Psychiatric Institute:
Cannabinoids
Risk taking
Decision making

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Marijuana Abuse
Marijuana Smoking
Substance-Related Disorders
 Mental Disorders
Smoking
Habits

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 23, 2013