Clinical and Neurobiological Effects of Cannabis Dependence in Young Adults (SCCAN)

May 23, 2017 updated by: Barbara J. Mason, The Scripps Research Institute

Translational Center on the Clinical Neurobiology of Cannabis Addiction

The purpose of this study is to find out more about cognitive functioning in people who are cannabis dependent, relative to people who do not use cannabis, and how their brains process information after one month of not using cannabis. An additional goal is to characterize the severity of cannabis dependence using precipitated and naturalistic withdrawal with a double blind, placebo controlled, single administration of rimonabant. Research assessments occur bi-weekly throughout this 28 day study.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

66

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • La Jolla, California, United States, 92037
        • The Scripps Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 30 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Cannabis Dependent Subjects:

Inclusion Criteria:

  • males or females 21-30 years of age
  • meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) diagnosis of Cannabis Dependence
  • willing to be abstinent for 28 days during study
  • smokes < 10 cigarettes per day
  • drinks < 1 (female) or < 2 (male) per day

Exclusion Criteria:

  • active suicide ideation
  • meets DSM-IV diagnosis for dependence on other substances other than cannabis
  • significant medical disorders
  • pregnant women
  • meets DSM-IV diagnosis for a major Axis I disorder other than cannabis dependence
  • currently taking psychoactive medication

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cannabis-dependent rimonabant
Cannabis dependent young adults administered rimonabant 90 mg at Day 0 and followed for 28 days post.
Drug: rimonabant
double blind, placebo controlled, single 90 mg dose
Other Names:
  • CB1 receptor antagonist
Placebo Comparator: Cannabis-dependent placebo
Cannabis dependent young adults administered matched placebo at Day 0 and followed for 28 days post.
Drug: placebo
matched placebo
No Intervention: Non-cannabis using control
Non-cannabis using demographically similar young adults followed for 28 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Withdrawal Symptom Severity on the Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist (MWC) at 28 Days Following Single Dose Administration of Rimonabant or Placebo, or Commencement of Monitoring, During the Double-Blind Period
Time Frame: Day 28
The MWC is a 28-item instrument that is used to assess the severity of frequently reported cannabis withdrawal symptoms. Each item on the measure is recorded as a severity rating between 0-3 where a zero indicates not present and a three indicates severe. The severity rating of each item was summed to obtain a single marijuana withdrawal severity score ranging between 0- 84. A lower score indicates less severe withdrawal.
Day 28
Plasma Norepinephrine
Time Frame: Day 28
Blood samples were obtained and plasma concentrations were determined using validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques at 28 days following single dose administration of rimonabant or placebo, or commencement of monitoring, during the double-blind period.
Day 28
Plasma Cortisol
Time Frame: Day 28
Blood samples were obtained and plasma concentrations were determined using validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques at 28 days following single dose administration of rimonabant or placebo, or commencement of monitoring, during the double-blind period.
Day 28
Change From Day 0 in Performance on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batteries Spatial Working Memory (CANTAB SWM) Strategy Score at Day 28
Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 28
The CANTAB SWM task is a validated computer-based testing instrument assessing the memory component of executive function. Strategy Score is an estimate of use of the most efficient strategy to complete the task. Scores range from 8-56; higher scores equate to poor use of the most efficient strategy. Change = (Day 28 Score - Day 0 Score). A more negative result indicates greater improvement.
Day 0 and Day 28
Change From Day 0 in Performance on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batteries Spatial Working Memory (CANTAB SWM) Total Errors at Day 28
Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 28
The CANTAB SWM task is a validated computer-based testing instrument assessing the memory component of executive function. Total Errors are a measure of performance and are unbounded. Change = (Day 28 Score - Day 0 Score). A more negative result indicates greater improvement.
Day 0 and Day 28
Change From Day 0 in Performance on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batteries Spatial Working Memory (CANTAB SWM) Mean Time To First Response at Day 28
Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 28
The CANTAB SWM task is a validated computer-based testing instrument assessing the memory component of executive function. Mean Time To First Response is a measure of latency and is unbounded. Change = (Day 28 Time - Day 0 Time). A more negative result indicates greater improvement.
Day 0 and Day 28

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Scripps Research Institute

Collaborators

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 30, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 28, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

January 6, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 7, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

April 11, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 19, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 23, 2017

Last Verified

May 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DA024194
  • P20DA024194 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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