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Patterns of brain function associated with cannabis cue-reactivity in regular cannabis users : A systematic review of fMRI studies
Sehl, Hannah Terrett, Gill Greenwood, Lisa-Marie Kowalczyk, Magdalena Thomson, Hannah Poudel, Govinda Manning, Victoria Lorenzetti, Valentina
Sehl, Hannah
Terrett, Gill
Greenwood, Lisa-Marie
Kowalczyk, Magdalena
Thomson, Hannah
Poudel, Govinda
Manning, Victoria
Lorenzetti, Valentina
Abstract
Rationale
Regular cannabis use (i.e. ≥ monthly) is highly prevalent, with past year use being reported by ~ 200 million people globally.High reactivity to cannabis cues is a key feature of regular cannabis use and has been ascribed to greater cannabis exposure and craving, but the underlying neurobiology is yet to be systematically integrated.
Objectives
We aim to systematically summarise the findings from fMRI studies which examined brain function in cannabis users while exposed to cannabis vs neutral stimuli during a cue-reactivity fMRI task.
Methods
A systematic search of PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus databases was pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020171750) and conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Eighteen studies met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Samples comprised 918 participants (340 female) aged 16–38 years. Of these, 603 were regular cannabis users, and 315 were controls.
Results
The literature consistently reported greater brain activity in cannabis users while exposed to cannabis vs neutral stimuli in three key brain areas: the striatum, the prefrontal (anterior cingulate, middle frontal) and the parietal cortex (posterior cingulate/precuneus) and additional brain regions (hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, occipital cortex). Preliminary correlations emerged between cannabis craving and the function of partially overlapping regions (amygdala, striatum, orbitofrontal cortex ).
Conclusions
Exposure to cannabis-cues may elicit greater brain function and thus trigger cravings in regular cannabis users and thus trigger cannabis craving. Standardised and longitudinal assessments of cannabis use and related problems are required to profile with greater precision the neurobiology of cannabis cue-reactivity, and its role in predicting cravings and relapse.
Keywords
cannabis, craving, functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, cue-reactivity, neuroimaging, brain
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Psychopharmacology
Book
Volume
238
Issue
10
Page Range
2709-2728
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open