People with cannabis use disorder have an automatic attentional pull toward cannabis-related images
Individuals with cannabis use disorders showed greater difficulty ignoring cannabis-related visual cues, more errors when cannabis images were present, and earlier brain responses to cannabis cues compared to healthy controls.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Cannabis users had more difficulty ignoring cannabis distractors (selective attention failure), committed more errors when cannabis cues were present, and showed an augmented and earlier N1 ERP component (125-200 ms post-stimulus) to cannabis cues, indicating an involuntary early perceptual bias toward cannabis-related stimuli.
Key Numbers
20 cannabis users, 20 controls. N1 component (125-200 ms) was earlier and larger in cannabis users for cannabis cues. More errors on cannabis-cue trials in users vs. controls.
How They Did This
Pilot study comparing 20 individuals with cannabis use disorders (mean age 26.2) and 20 healthy controls (mean age 28). Participants completed a visual attention task with cannabis-related, positive, negative, and neutral images while behavioral responses and event-related potentials were recorded via EEG.
Why This Research Matters
Attentional bias toward drug cues is a known driver of craving and relapse. This study shows that cannabis cues capture attention at a very early, automatic level in the brain, suggesting the bias is involuntary and hard to control.
The Bigger Picture
Understanding that cannabis attentional bias operates at an involuntary, pre-conscious level could inform treatment strategies. Interventions targeting automatic processing, such as attentional bias modification training, might complement traditional approaches.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Pilot study with small sample size. Cross-sectional design. Cannot determine if attentional bias causes or results from heavy cannabis use.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would attentional bias modification training reduce cannabis use?
- ?Does this bias diminish with sustained abstinence?
- ?Are there individual differences in who develops this automatic response?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis cues captured attention within 125-200 ms involuntarily
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary: small pilot study with 20 participants per group.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2019.
- Original Title:
- Neural and behavioral correlates of attentional bias to cannabis cues among adults with cannabis use disorders.
- Published In:
- Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 33(1), 69-80 (2019)
- Authors:
- Ruglass, Lesia M(2), Shevorykin, Alina, Dambreville, Naomi, Melara, Robert D
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02266
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is attentional bias?
It is the tendency for certain stimuli to automatically capture your attention. In addiction, drug-related images or objects can involuntarily grab attention, potentially triggering cravings.
Can this automatic response be changed?
The study did not test treatments, but attentional bias modification training is an emerging approach in addiction that aims to retrain automatic attention away from drug cues.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02266APA
Ruglass, Lesia M; Shevorykin, Alina; Dambreville, Naomi; Melara, Robert D. (2019). Neural and behavioral correlates of attentional bias to cannabis cues among adults with cannabis use disorders.. Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 33(1), 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000423
MLA
Ruglass, Lesia M, et al. "Neural and behavioral correlates of attentional bias to cannabis cues among adults with cannabis use disorders.." Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000423
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Neural and behavioral correlates of attentional bias to cann..." RTHC-02266. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/ruglass-2019-neural-and-behavioral-correlates
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.