Women Cannabis Users Show Different Brain Responses to Cannabis Cues Than Men
Women who use cannabis regularly showed blunted brain responses to cannabis cues in reward regions compared to men, with unique brain-craving associations found only in women.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Women cannabis users showed blunted neural cue-reactivity in the right insula and putamen compared to male users, a pattern opposite to controls. Among women only, session-induced craving correlated with cue-reactivity in the right superior frontal gyrus, cerebellum, and precentral gyrus. Cannabis use severity was linked to precentral gyrus cue-reactivity exclusively in women.
Key Numbers
66 cannabis users (27 women), 71 controls (31 women). Cannabis users used 2-7 days/week. Women showed blunted insula and putamen cue-reactivity vs men. Brain-craving correlations in frontal gyrus, cerebellum, and precentral gyrus found only in women.
How They Did This
fMRI cue-reactivity study with 66 regular cannabis users (27 women, using 2-7 days/week) and 71 controls (31 women). Cannabis-related and neutral images presented during scanning. Craving measured twice with the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire.
Why This Research Matters
Women transition more rapidly from initial cannabis use to cannabis use disorder. Understanding the distinct neural mechanisms in women could explain this accelerated progression and inform sex-specific treatments.
The Bigger Picture
The sex reversal pattern (blunted in women users but enhanced in women controls, opposite in men) suggests that regular cannabis use may fundamentally reorganize reward circuitry differently by sex, potentially contributing to the faster CUD progression seen in women.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Moderate sample size limits statistical power for sex-stratified analyses. Cross-sectional design cannot determine if neural differences preceded or resulted from cannabis use. Craving measures are self-reported. Participants were non-treatment-seeking.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does the blunted cue-reactivity in women reflect tolerance or a distinct neurobiological vulnerability?
- ?Would sex-specific treatment approaches improve CUD outcomes for women?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Women cannabis users showed blunted insula and putamen cue-reactivity compared to men, opposite to the pattern in non-using controls
- Evidence Grade:
- Well-designed fMRI study with sex-stratified analysis, but moderate sample and cross-sectional design limit causal conclusions.
- Study Age:
- 2025 publication.
- Original Title:
- Unravelling gender differences in cannabis cue-reactivity in individuals who use cannabis.
- Published In:
- Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 142, 111515 (2025)
- Authors:
- Kaag, A M(2), Cousijn, J(5), Kroon, E(2)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06780
Evidence Hierarchy
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06780APA
Kaag, A M; Cousijn, J; Kroon, E. (2025). Unravelling gender differences in cannabis cue-reactivity in individuals who use cannabis.. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 142, 111515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111515
MLA
Kaag, A M, et al. "Unravelling gender differences in cannabis cue-reactivity in individuals who use cannabis.." Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111515
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Unravelling gender differences in cannabis cue-reactivity in..." RTHC-06780. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/kaag-2025-unravelling-gender-differences-in
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.