A neuroscience-based mobile app reduced cannabis use intentions and actual use while improving executive function, metacognition, and decision-making in 68 college students.
University prevention programs, mHealth developers, cognitive training researchers.
Reduced cannabis use after 4 app sessions
What the researchers found
After four 20-minute NIPA sessions, 68 college students showed significant reductions in executive function deficits, stress, and anxiety. Decision-making improved: reduced delay discounting of large rewards and increased sensitivity to uncertainty. Participants reported lower intentions to use and lower actual use of nicotine and cannabis, and less binge drinking.
Why it matters
Traditional substance prevention focuses on knowledge and motivation, but this app targets underlying cognitive processes like executive function and decision-making. The simultaneous improvement in cognition and reduction in substance use suggests that building cognitive skills may be more effective than information alone.
The numbers in context
68 participants. Four 20-minute sessions. Significant reductions in executive function deficits (Z=-7.11, p<0.001). Reduced anxiety (Z=-2.49, p=0.013). Increased metacognitive awareness (Z=-3.07, p=0.002). Reduced cannabis use intentions and actual use.
How the study worked
Pilot study with 68 undergraduates who had prior substance use. Pre-post assessment around four 20-minute NIPA app sessions combining metacognitive training, gamified neurocognitive tasks, and neuroscience psychoeducation delivered through cartoons, animations, and videos. Wilcoxon signed-rank and binomial tests analyzed changes.
What this study cannot tell us
No control group. Pre-post design cannot establish causation. Small sample (N=68). Very short intervention (4 sessions). No follow-up to assess durability. Self-reported outcomes. Participants self-selected.
How to read the evidence
Preliminary: promising pilot results but no control group, small sample, and no follow-up assessment.
When this study was published
2025 study
The bigger picture
If cognitive training can reduce substance use, it offers a scalable, non-stigmatizing prevention approach. The app format makes it accessible and engaging for college students, and the neuroscience framing may be more appealing than traditional prevention messaging.
Questions still open
- Would effects persist with longer follow-up? Would a randomized trial with control group confirm the findings? Which components of the app drive the cognitive and behavioral changes?
Common questions
Can a phone app help reduce cannabis use?
How does the app work?
Read the original research
Efficacy of a neuroscience informed psychoeducation intervention on cognitive, emotional, and substance use outcomes in college students: a pilot study.
Frontiers in psychiatry, 16, 1655909
Citation
Rezapour, Tara; McLean, Kayla L; Psederska, Elena; Chokshi, Swara; Maleki, Khashayar Niki; Ekhtiari, Hamed; Vassileva, Jasmin. (2025). Efficacy of a neuroscience informed psychoeducation intervention on cognitive, emotional, and substance use outcomes in college students: a pilot study.. Frontiers in psychiatry, 16, 1655909. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1655909
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