Cannabis Users' Brains React More to Cannabis Cues But Less to Money — and That May Predict Quitting
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.
Quick Facts
What This Study 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.
Key Numbers
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 They Did This
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.
Why This Research 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 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.
What This Study Doesn't 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.
Questions This Raises
- ?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?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Preregistered longitudinal design with validated EEG paradigms, though key predictive findings were exploratory and need replication.
- Study Age:
- Published 2026, first preregistered longitudinal ERP study of cannabis cue reactivity.
- Original Title:
- Electrophysiological Correlates of Attention- and Reward-related Brain Activity in Cannabis Users: Stage II Preregistered Research Report of a Longitudinal Study.
- Published In:
- Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 1-23 (2026)
- Authors:
- Macedo, Inês(3), Pasion, Rita(3), Magalhães, Ana(2), Barbosa, Fernando
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08454
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cannabis users' brains react differently to cannabis images?
Yes — current users showed stronger brain responses (P3 component) when viewing cannabis images compared to neutral ones. Interestingly, people who had quit still showed enhanced responses to cannabis cues but in a different brain measure (LPP).
Does strong cue reactivity mean you're more addicted?
Surprisingly, no — in this study, stronger brain reactions to cannabis cues actually predicted using less cannabis three months later, suggesting that heightened cue awareness might support self-regulation rather than always driving compulsive use.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08454APA
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
MLA
Macedo, Inês, et al. "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, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1162/JOCN.a.2489
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Electrophysiological Correlates of Attention- and Reward-rel..." RTHC-08454. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/macedo-2026-electrophysiological-correlates-of-attention
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.