Impaired cognitive performance under psychosocial stress in cannabis-dependent men is associated with attenuated precuneus activity

Abstract

Background: Deficient regulation of stress plays an important role in the escalation of substance use, addiction and relapse. Accumulating evidence suggests dysregulations in cognitive and reward-related processes and the underlying neural circuitry in cannabis dependence. However, despite the important regulatory role of the endocannabinoid system in the stress response, associations between chronic cannabis use and altered stress processing at the neural level have not been systematically examined. Methods: Against this background, the present functional MRI study examined psychosocial stress processing in cannabis-dependent men (n = 28) and matched controls (n = 23) using an established stress-induction paradigm (Montreal Imaging Stress Task) that combines computerized (adaptive) mental arithmetic challenges with social evaluative threat. Results: During psychosocial stress exposure, but not the no-stress condition, cannabis users demonstrated impaired performance relative to controls. In contrast, levels of experienced stress and cardiovascular stress responsivity did not differ from controls. Functional MRI data revealed that stress-induced performance deteriorations in cannabis users was accompanied by decreased precuneus activity and increased connectivity of this region with the superior frontal gyrus. Limitations: Only male cannabis-dependent users were examined; the generalizability in female users remains to be determined. Conclusion: Together, the present findings provide first evidence for exaggerated stress-induced cognitive performance deteriorations in cannabis users. The neural data suggest that deficient stress-related recruitment of the precuneus may be associated with the deterioration of performance at the behavioural level.Stress impairs performance in cannabis dependence J Psychiatry Neurosci 2020;45(2) Affiliations: From the Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute,

The Association Between Precuneus Function and Residual Dizziness in Patients With Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

“…We applied the ALFF method to investigate the spontaneous brain activity alterations in patients with RD and found significant ALFF decrease in the bilateral precuneus. The precuneus, located in the posteromedial parietal lobe, is considered to play a central role in a range of highly integrated tasks, including cognitive tasks ( 29 , 30 ) and perception of self-motion ( 31 ). Some studies also showing that electrical stimulation of the precuneus may induce the symptom of dizziness ( 11 , 12 ).…”

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“… Sensation seeking men (but not women) showed decreased mOFC during stress after ingesting alcohol, which predicted problem drinking at follow-up. Zhao et al (2019) N = 51 ( n = 28 cannabis users) M age = 25.05 (4.33) 100 % Male In-person screening Effects of substance use on neural function Cannabis Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) Stress > No Stress Precuneus, dmPFC Cannabis users had decreased stress-related reactivity in the precuneus, and increased connectivity between the precuneus and dmPFC. Behaviorally, they performed worse in the social stress condition, but not the no-stress condition.…”

“…Beyond reward and cognitive processes, atypical stress reactivity and deficient regulation of stress are prominent risk factors for the initiation of substance use ( Chaplin et al, 2018 , Zhao et al, 2019 ), and are considered a hallmark of addiction ( Sahani et al, 2022 , Sinha, 2008 , Sinha, 2011 ). Self-report data has indicated that the regulation of negative affective states is a primary motivational drive for alcohol use ( Hussong and Chassin, 1994 ) and cannabis use ( Simons et al, 2000 ); and that these coping-oriented motivations are linked to an increased risk of addictive patterns of use ( Schlossarek et al, 2016 , Winters et al, 2021 ).…”

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