Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder

Background: Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is prevalent and associated with significant disability. Stress potentiation of drug use motivation is a mechanism implicated in CUD; however, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms through which stress impacts cannabis use motivation. Frontal al...

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Main Authors: Brandon S. Schermitzler, Julia Y. Gorday, Michael Griffin, Richard J. Macatee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Addiction Neuroscience
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277239252500001X
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author Brandon S. Schermitzler
Julia Y. Gorday
Michael Griffin
Richard J. Macatee
author_facet Brandon S. Schermitzler
Julia Y. Gorday
Michael Griffin
Richard J. Macatee
author_sort Brandon S. Schermitzler
collection DOAJ
description Background: Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is prevalent and associated with significant disability. Stress potentiation of drug use motivation is a mechanism implicated in CUD; however, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms through which stress impacts cannabis use motivation. Frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), an index of approach motivation, is sensitive to acute stress, so this study sought to examine the relationship between stress-potentiated FAA and cannabis-related problems. Method: Non-treatment-seeking regular cannabis users in a stress task study (N = 102) and a control task study (N = 52) completed a resting state task with concurrent electroencephalogram recording before and after a stressor or control task. Changes in FAA from pre- to post-task represented a neurophysiological index of approach motivation change. Participants completed self-report and clinician-assessed measures of cannabis-related problems. Participants in the stress study re-completed all study components three months later. Results: Relative to the control study, participants in the stress study showed a greater shift from right to left alpha-band power at frontal sites. More cannabis-related problems, but not past-month cannabis use sessions, correlated with a blunted stress-induced FAA response, which predicted greater maintenance of cannabis-related problems three months later. Baseline cannabis-related problems were not associated with changes in the stress-induced FAA response from baseline to follow-up, and changes in cannabis-related problems across the three-month study period were not associated with changes in the stress-induced FAA response. The stress-induced FAA response demonstrated good stability over three months. Conclusion: The stress-induced FAA response may represent a stable predictor of cannabis-related problems and may have implications for clinical practice.
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spelling doaj-art-3d218eac6952471b9ce6a0fbb503084d2025-01-29T05:02:42ZengElsevierAddiction Neuroscience2772-39252025-03-0114100195Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorderBrandon S. Schermitzler0Julia Y. Gorday1Michael Griffin2Richard J. Macatee3Auburn University, Department of Psychological Sciences, USA; Corresponding author.Auburn University, Department of Psychological Sciences, USAAnara Center for Mental Health, Kuwait City, KuwaitAuburn University, Department of Psychological Sciences, USABackground: Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is prevalent and associated with significant disability. Stress potentiation of drug use motivation is a mechanism implicated in CUD; however, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms through which stress impacts cannabis use motivation. Frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), an index of approach motivation, is sensitive to acute stress, so this study sought to examine the relationship between stress-potentiated FAA and cannabis-related problems. Method: Non-treatment-seeking regular cannabis users in a stress task study (N = 102) and a control task study (N = 52) completed a resting state task with concurrent electroencephalogram recording before and after a stressor or control task. Changes in FAA from pre- to post-task represented a neurophysiological index of approach motivation change. Participants completed self-report and clinician-assessed measures of cannabis-related problems. Participants in the stress study re-completed all study components three months later. Results: Relative to the control study, participants in the stress study showed a greater shift from right to left alpha-band power at frontal sites. More cannabis-related problems, but not past-month cannabis use sessions, correlated with a blunted stress-induced FAA response, which predicted greater maintenance of cannabis-related problems three months later. Baseline cannabis-related problems were not associated with changes in the stress-induced FAA response from baseline to follow-up, and changes in cannabis-related problems across the three-month study period were not associated with changes in the stress-induced FAA response. The stress-induced FAA response demonstrated good stability over three months. Conclusion: The stress-induced FAA response may represent a stable predictor of cannabis-related problems and may have implications for clinical practice.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277239252500001XEEGFrontal alpha asymmetryCannabisCannabis use disorderStress
spellingShingle Brandon S. Schermitzler
Julia Y. Gorday
Michael Griffin
Richard J. Macatee
Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
Addiction Neuroscience
EEG
Frontal alpha asymmetry
Cannabis
Cannabis use disorder
Stress
title Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
title_full Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
title_fullStr Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
title_full_unstemmed Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
title_short Concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress-induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
title_sort concurrent and prospective relations between aberrant stress induced frontal alpha asymmetry and cannabis use disorder
topic EEG
Frontal alpha asymmetry
Cannabis
Cannabis use disorder
Stress
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277239252500001X
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AT michaelgriffin concurrentandprospectiverelationsbetweenaberrantstressinducedfrontalalphaasymmetryandcannabisusedisorder
AT richardjmacatee concurrentandprospectiverelationsbetweenaberrantstressinducedfrontalalphaasymmetryandcannabisusedisorder