Attention and reward related brain activity in cannabis users: A registered report of a longitudinal study

Background: Research suggests that ongoing drug use may disrupt neuronal networks related to attention and reward processing, leading to heightened attentional bias towards drug-related cues. Our study aims to assess neurophysiological alterations associated with cannabis (ab)use and explore the utility of known Event-Related Potentials (ERP) as possible biomarkers for future cannabis use. For this purpose, a Registered Report was peer-reviewed and granted in-principle acceptance (https://osf.io/85gwd).

Methods: Participants aged 18-35 (n = 53 current users, n = 53 abstinent users, n = 53 non-users) will complete a Cannabis-Cue Reactivity task and the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task while undergoing electroencephalographic data collection. Key ERP components (P3, Late Positive Potential, Reward Positivity) will be analyzed. Data collection will start in January 2024 and information on cannabis use will be collected through a follow-up survey at three months. 

Results: We expect differences in electrophysiological responses between current users and non-users, with current users showing a stronger attentional bias towards cannabis cues. This bias is expected to correlate positively with self-reported measures of frequency of use, dependence, and craving. 

Conclusions: If ERP components reliably predicting future cannabis use or relapse, they could become valuable for clinical intervention and assessment in cannabis misuse.