Cannabis users show increased susceptibility to false memories

Abstract

Drug and Alcohol Dependence 156 (2015) e183–e245 e189 areas of sexual risk reduction, prevention and treatment for substanceabuseandmental health. Publichealthprogramsprioritizing the different populations are necessary. Financial support: Fogarty International Center; Grant 1R03TW007612; Fundo de Incentivo e Auxilio a Pesquisa (FIPE) from Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil (GPPGHCPA – No. 07-391). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.07.507 Crack, powdered cocaine, both or neither: A generalized logit analysis of a community-based sample Grace L. Reynolds1,2,∗, Dennis G. Fisher1, Erlyana Erlyana2 1 Center for Behavioral Research and Services, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States 2 Health Care Administration, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States Aims: To understand factors associated with use of both crack cocaine and non-injected powered cocaine. Methods: The Risk Behavior Assessment (RBA; 1993) was used to elicit information on past month, past 48-hours and drugs used before/during sex drug use in a sample of out-of-treatment drug users (N=8538). Past 30 day, past 48h, and before/during sex drug use were coded into (1) use of crack (smokable cocaine) only, (2) powdered cocaine use only, (3) both drugs used during the timeframe and (4) neither drug used. Generalized logit analysis was used to develop models for each timeframe (48-hour and 30-day). For all models the reference group was using neither drug. Results: Respondents who reported use of both crack and powdered cocaine (N=306) included both men (n=207) and women (n=99). The 48-hour, 30-day, and before/during sex models were almost identical. Those who reported using both crack and cocaine were more likely to: be Black (OR=1.65, CI 1.27, 2.14); bisexual (OR=1.85, CI 1.39, 2.47); trade sex fordrugs (OR=4.88CI 3.73, 6.39); tobehomeless (OR=3.50, CI 2.66, 4.62), havehighernumberof days used alcohol in the pastmonth (OR=1.09, CI 1.08, 1.10); and to have had gonorrhea (OR=1.42, CI 1.07, 1.88). Conclusions: The general logit model highlights factors associated with use of both crack and powdered cocaine within the same timeframe, includinghomelessness, andbeingamemberof anethic or sexual minority, and sex trading. Financial support: Funding was provided in part by grant R01 DA030234 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, P20MD003942 from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute ofMinority Health and Health Disparities or the National Institutes of Health. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.07.508 Cannabis users show increased susceptibility to false memories Jordi Riba1,∗, Frederic Sampedro2, Aina Rodriguez-Pujadas2, Saul Martinez-Horta1, Jaime Kulisevsky1, Jose-Carlos Perez-de-los-Cobos1, Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells1, Marta Valle1 1 Hospital Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain 2 University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Aims: Previous studies on the neurocognitive impact of cannabis use have found working and declarative memory deficits that tend to normalize with abstinence. An unexplored aspect of cognitive function in chronic cannabis users is the ability to distinguish between veridical and illusory events; a crucial aspect of reality monitoring that relies on adequate memory function and cognitive control. Methods: Sixteen heavy cannabis users not seeking treatment for their cannabis consumptionwerematched to a group of healthy controls taking into account sex, age, years of education, verbal intelligence and fluid intelligence. All participants performed a modified version of the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm in an MRI scanner. Following a study phase, subjects were presented with 75 old words, 40 semantically unrelated new words and 40 semantically related new words or lures. They were required to judge whether a word had been presented in the study phase and make an old vs. new decision by button press. Results: Cannabis users showed an increased susceptibility to false memories, failing to identify lure stimuli as events that never occurred. In addition to impaired performance, they displayed reduced activation in areas associated with memory processing within the medial temporal lobe (MTL), and in parietal and frontal brain regions involved in attention and performance monitoring. Reduced activity in the MTL was associated with greater cannabis consumption. Conclusions: These findings indicate that cannabis users have an increased susceptibility to memory distortions even when abstinent and drug-free, suggesting a long-lasting compromise of memory and cognitive control mechanisms involved in reality monitoring. Financial support: This research was supported by the “Plan Nacional Sobre Drogas” of the Spanish Government. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.07.509 CaMKII inhibition affects cocaine-cue memory processes to attenuate reinstatement Matthew T. Rich1,∗, Mary M. Torregrossa2 1 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States 2 Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,