Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Inhibitory Control among Individuals with Cannabis Use Disorders.

Alina Shevorykin,Lesia M Ruglass,Robert D Melara

doi:10.3390/brainsci9090219

Alina Shevorykin, Lesia M Ruglass + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9090219

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Abstract

To better understand the biopsychosocial mechanisms associated with development and maintenance of cannabis use disorder (CUD), we examined frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) as a measure of approach bias and inhibitory control in cannabis users versus healthy nonusers. We investigated: (1) whether FAA could distinguish cannabis users from healthy controls; (2) whether there are cue-specific FAA effects in cannabis users versus controls; and (3) the time course of cue-specific approach motivation and inhibitory control processes. EEG data were analyzed from forty participants (CUD (n = 20) and controls (n = 20)) who completed a modified visual attention task. Results showed controls exhibited greater relative right hemisphere activation (indicating avoidance/withdrawal motivation) when exposed to cannabis cues during the filtering task. By contrast, cannabis users exhibited greater relative left activation (approach) to all cues (cannabis, positive, negative, and neutral), reflecting a generalized approach motivational tendency, particularly during later stages of inhibitory control processes. The difference between cannabis users and controls in FAA was largest during mid- to late processing stages of all cues, indicating greater approach motivation during later stages of information processing among cannabis users. Findings suggest FAA may distinguish cannabis users from healthy controls and shows promise as a measure of inhibitory control processes in cannabis users.

Highlights

Among individuals age 12 and older, cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, with an estimated 24 million people reporting past month use in 2016 [1]
EEG and ERP to examine the time course of attentional bias and cue reactivity among individuals with cannabis use disorder (CUD) compared to healthy controls
The difference in frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) between baseline and filtering tasks was larger at lower alpha (8–9 Hz) than higher alpha (12–13 Hz), F(5,190) = 2.52, p = 0.03, MSe = 0.001, η2 = 0.002, at the later time epochs, F(10,380) = 7.75, p < 0.001, MSe = 0.0002, η2 = 0.003

Summary

Introduction

Among individuals age 12 and older, cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, with an estimated 24 million people reporting past month use in 2016 [1]. Studies show that both short-term and long-term/chronic cannabis use are associated with detrimental psychological and physical effects. Acute negative effects may include impairments in attention, short-term memory, and motor coordination, increasing risk for accidental injuries [4,5]. Long-term or heavy use of cannabis may increase the risk for developing a cannabis use disorder (CUD) [6], which may contribute to lasting structural and functional brain changes. The potency of cannabis has been increasing significantly over the past decade and serves as a significant risk factor for the onset of CUD symptoms [7,8].

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