Current cannabis users show heightened brain responses to cannabis images and blunted responses to monetary rewards, but paradoxically, stronger cue reactions predicted less use three months later.
Addiction neuroscientists, EEG researchers, cannabis cessation program developers
What the researchers found
Current (but not abstinent) cannabis users showed higher P3 amplitudes to cannabis vs. neutral cues. Higher P3 predicted reductions in cannabis use at 3-month follow-up. Current users showed a trend for blunted LPP to monetary cues. Enhanced LPP to loss cues predicted greater reductions in use. Abstinent users showed enhanced LPP to cannabis cues vs. nonusers.
Why it matters
The finding that stronger brain cue reactivity predicts less (not more) future use challenges the standard addiction model and suggests that heightened awareness of cannabis cues might actually support behavior change rather than always driving continued use.
The numbers in context
142 participants across 3 groups. Current users: higher P3 to cannabis cues, blunted LPP to monetary cues. 3-month follow-up: higher P3 and LPP to loss cues predicted reduced use. Abstinent users: enhanced LPP to cannabis cues vs nonusers.
How the study worked
Preregistered longitudinal EEG study of 142 young adults (55 current users, 35 abstinent, 52 nonusers, ages 18-38). Cannabis cue-reactivity and monetary incentive delay tasks with P3, LPP, and reward positivity measurement. Three-month cannabis use follow-up.
What this study cannot tell us
Exploratory analyses drive several key findings. Moderate sample sizes per group. Non-treatment-seeking users may differ from clinical populations. Three-month follow-up may be insufficient for long-term prediction. Cannabis cue images may not capture real-world triggers.
How to read the evidence
Preregistered longitudinal design with validated EEG paradigms, though key predictive findings were exploratory and need replication.
When this study was published
Published 2026, first preregistered longitudinal ERP study of cannabis cue reactivity.
The bigger picture
This counterintuitive finding — that stronger brain reactions to cannabis cues predict less future use — may mean that heightened cue awareness serves a self-regulatory function rather than a compulsive one, at least in non-treatment-seeking users.
Questions still open
- Could cue-reactivity measures be used to identify who will naturally reduce use? Does the predictive relationship reverse in treatment-seeking or heavy users? Could neurofeedback targeting P3 enhancement support cannabis reduction?
Common questions
Do cannabis users' brains react differently to cannabis images?
Does strong cue reactivity mean you're more addicted?
Read the original research
Electrophysiological Correlates of Attention- and Reward-related Brain Activity in Cannabis Users: Stage II Preregistered Research Report of a Longitudinal Study.
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 1-23
Citation
Macedo, Inês; Pasion, Rita; Magalhães, Ana; Barbosa, Fernando. (2026). Electrophysiological Correlates of Attention- and Reward-related Brain Activity in Cannabis Users: Stage II Preregistered Research Report of a Longitudinal Study.. Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1162/JOCN.a.2489
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