Abstract
The trend toward cannabis legalization in the United States over the past two decades has unsurprisingly been accompanied by an increase in the number of cannabis users and use patterns that potentially pose wider risks to the public like driving under the influence. As such, it is becoming increasingly important to develop methods to accurately quantify cannabis intoxication and its associated impairments on cognitive and motor function. Electroencephalography (EEG) offers a non-invasive method for quantitatively assessing neurophysiological biomarkers of intoxication and impairment with a high degree of temporal resolution. Twelve healthy, young recreational cannabis users completed a series of neurocognitive tasks with concurrent EEG acquisition using the ABM STAT X24 EEG headset in a within-subject counterbalanced design. The 1-h testbed consisted of resting state tasks and tests of attention and memory. Spectral densities were computed for resting state tasks, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were obtained for the attention and memory tasks. Theta band power (3–5 Hz) was decreased during cannabis intoxication compared to placebo during resting state tasks, as were average P400 and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes during attention and memory tasks. Cannabis intoxication was also associated with elevated frontal coherence and diminished anterior–posterior coherence in the Theta frequency band. This work highlights the utility of EEG to identify and quantify neurophysiological biomarkers from recordings obtained during a short neurocognitive testbed as a method for profiling cannabis intoxication. These biomarkers may prove efficacious in distinguishing intoxicated from non-intoxicated individuals in lab and real-world settings.
Highlights
The decades long trend toward decriminalization and legalization of cannabis in the United States has accelerated in recent years
This need for more research is no less true for studies attempting to quantify the biological correlates of cannabis intoxication and impairment, especially when considering the potential for increases in motor vehicle accidents by drivers under the influence of cannabis (Compton, 2017)
From a public safety standpoint it is essential for employers, policymakers, and law enforcement officials to fully understand the effects of cannabis on all aspects of performance, and to do so requires the identification of biomarkers specific to acute cannabis intoxication
Summary
The decades long trend toward decriminalization and legalization of cannabis in the United States has accelerated in recent years. The bureaucratic hurdles erected against research on cannabis discourage the investigations required to clearly delineate its short- and long-term risks and benefits (Yang and Szaflarski, 2019). This need for more research is no less true for studies attempting to quantify the biological correlates of cannabis intoxication and impairment, especially when considering the potential for increases in motor vehicle accidents by drivers under the influence of cannabis (Compton, 2017). From a public safety standpoint it is essential for employers, policymakers, and law enforcement officials to fully understand the effects of cannabis on all aspects of performance, and to do so requires the identification of biomarkers specific to acute cannabis intoxication
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
