Brain Scans Reveal How Cannabis Cues Hijack Attention in People with Use Disorder
People with moderate-to-severe cannabis use disorder show heightened brain activity across addiction-related circuits when exposed to cannabis images, correlating with arousal and withdrawal severity.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Compared to controls, individuals with CUD showed greater cannabis cue reactivity in occipital, orbitofrontal, cingulate, cerebellar, hippocampal, temporal, and parietal cortices. Greater occipital/cerebellar activity correlated with subjective arousal and cannabis withdrawal. Anterior cingulate/parietal activity negatively correlated with urinary THC metabolite levels.
Key Numbers
65 CUD participants, 43 controls. Heightened activity in multiple regions (p<0.001, FWE corrected, k>10). Occipital/cerebellar activity correlated with arousal and withdrawal. Anterior cingulate/parietal activity negatively correlated with THC metabolite:creatinine ratio.
How They Did This
fMRI cannabis cue-reactivity task in 65 individuals with moderate-to-severe CUD (non-treatment-seeking, with past quit attempts) and 43 controls. Group differences analyzed adjusting for age and sex; correlations with cannabis use characteristics and mental health assessed.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding the neural basis of cannabis craving is essential for developing treatments that can break the cycle of cue-triggered relapse. These findings show cannabis cues activate the same addiction circuits seen with other substances.
The Bigger Picture
As cannabis marketing expands with legalization, people with CUD face increasing exposure to cues that their brains are wired to overreact to. This neuroimaging evidence supports the argument for regulating cannabis marketing similar to tobacco and alcohol.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional — cannot determine if brain differences preceded CUD. Non-treatment-seeking sample may differ from those in treatment. Static images may not capture real-world cue reactivity (smell, social context). Modest sample size.
Questions This Raises
- ?Could neurofeedback targeting these circuits reduce craving?
- ?Do these neural patterns predict relapse?
- ?Would mindfulness-based interventions dampen cue reactivity?
- ?How does marketing exposure affect these circuits over time?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Rigorous fMRI methodology with family-wise error correction, limited by moderate sample size and cross-sectional design.
- Study Age:
- Published 2026, first large cue-reactivity study in non-treatment-seeking CUD.
- Original Title:
- The Neurocircuitry of Cannabis Cue Reactivity in Cannabis Use Disorder: A Functional Neuroimaging Study.
- Published In:
- Biological psychiatry global open science, 6(1), 100638 (2026)
- Authors:
- Lorenzetti, Valentina(15), Sehl, Hannah(3), Arun, Arush Honnedevasthana, McTavish, Eugene, Clemente, Adam, Thomson, Hannah, Quinones-Valera, Marianna, Gaillard, Alexandra, Beyer, Emillie, Thomson, Diny, Cousijn, Janna, Labuschagne, Izelle, Rendell, Peter, Terrett, Gill, Suo, Chao, Greenwood, Lisa-Marie, Manning, Victoria, Poudel, Govinda
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08445
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do cannabis ads trigger cravings in people with use disorder?
Brain scans show that people with cannabis use disorder have significantly heightened activity across attention, motivation, and reward circuits when viewing cannabis images — activity that correlates with how aroused they feel and how severe their withdrawal symptoms are.
Is cannabis addiction similar to other addictions in the brain?
Yes — the brain circuits activated by cannabis cues in people with CUD (salience evaluation, motivation, disinhibition) are consistent with prominent theories of addiction and findings with other substances like alcohol and opioids.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08445APA
Lorenzetti, Valentina; Sehl, Hannah; Arun, Arush Honnedevasthana; McTavish, Eugene; Clemente, Adam; Thomson, Hannah; Quinones-Valera, Marianna; Gaillard, Alexandra; Beyer, Emillie; Thomson, Diny; Cousijn, Janna; Labuschagne, Izelle; Rendell, Peter; Terrett, Gill; Suo, Chao; Greenwood, Lisa-Marie; Manning, Victoria; Poudel, Govinda. (2026). The Neurocircuitry of Cannabis Cue Reactivity in Cannabis Use Disorder: A Functional Neuroimaging Study.. Biological psychiatry global open science, 6(1), 100638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100638
MLA
Lorenzetti, Valentina, et al. "The Neurocircuitry of Cannabis Cue Reactivity in Cannabis Use Disorder: A Functional Neuroimaging Study.." Biological psychiatry global open science, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100638
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "The Neurocircuitry of Cannabis Cue Reactivity in Cannabis Us..." RTHC-08445. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lorenzetti-2026-the-neurocircuitry-of-cannabis
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.