Emotional Regulation, Impulsivity in Cannabis Its Relation to MRI Brain Structure

January 10, 2022 updated by: Sayed Mostafa, Assiut University

Relation Between Emotional Regulation and Impulsivity in Cannabis Use Disorder and the Morphometric Changes in Brain Reward System Structures

cannabis addiction is a major health hazard that has its effect on personality and behavior including the impulsivity and emotional regulation. It also has its effect on both the structure and function of different brain regions involved in brain reward system.

the aim of the study is to study the emotional regulation and impulsivity among people with cannabis addiction studying the change in the volume of brain reward system structures' volume in relation to cannabis addiction and the change in the mentioned behavioral traits.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Introduction:

Cannabis sativa is a widely used drug comprising a broad spectrum of usage ranging from recreational users to chronic addicts.

Dependence on cannabis is considered a major global health related issue. Cannabis is still considered the most used psychoactive substance worldwide with an estimated 2.8-5.1 % of global adult population has used cannabis in 2019.

Epidemiological studies show that cannabis is the leading drug of abuse in Egypt and in Upper Egypt. Prevalence of cannabis dependence is estimated to be 7.4% in Egypt and 6.66 % in Upper Egypt.

Cannabis dependence is associated with multiple neurobehavioral abnormalities which can be considered as a psychological determinants of cannabis dependence .

There is an increasing evidence of association between emotional dysregulation and dependence on different substances of abuse. Such dysregulation affects both components of emotional regulation; reappraisal and suppression of emotions' expression. The pattern of this dysregulation differs according to the type of substance of dependence and can affect the pattern of substance abuse.

Impulsivity is a proposed endophenotype for substance dependence as well as a possible consequence of prolonged drug use. Drugs of addiction and subconscious craving are likely to increase impulsiveness due to the loss of frontal cortical inhibition of impulses and increased limbic drive. Cannabis use may lead to a loss of attention, reflection and inhibitory control.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional study ran between at the addiction management unit, Assiut University, Egypt. Two groups of participants were recruited in the study: Group (A): 32 patients with cannabis used disorder diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria recruited from the addiction outpatient clinic at the Hospital of Neurology and Psychiatry at Assiut University. Group (B): 34 healthy individuals as a cross matching control group.

Inclusion criteria were age above 18 years, current chronic cannabis dependence. Exclusion criteria were being in withdrawal state, other psychiatric disorders, and history or current neurological or medical disease.

Ethical considerations:

A signed, informed consent was obtained from patients and their families or caregivers to participate in the study. Confidentiality was maintained during the whole study.

Assessment tools:

All participants were first assessed through a semi-structured interview using the Structured clinical interviews for axis I diagnosis (SCID-I) to rule out any psychiatric comorbidities.

Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ): A 10-item scale designed to measure respondents' tendency to regulate their emotions in two ways: (1) Cognitive Reappraisal and (2) Expressive Suppression. Respondents answer each item on a 7-point Likert-type scale.

UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale- Short form: The UPPS-P impulsivity scale is a 20-item scale designed to assess five distinct personality traits to impulsive behavior: Negative Urgency, Lack of Perseverance, Lack of Premeditation, Positive Urgency and Sensation Seeking.

Magnetic resonance imaging examination:

The MR examination of brain was done using 1.5T MR scanner (Achieva, Philips Medical Systems, The Netherlands) with a 16 channel head coil without using any sedation.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

66

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

  • Egypt
      • Assiut, Egypt, 71111
        • Assiut University

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

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

66 participants with cannabis use disorder diagnosed by DSM-5 criteria were recruited from addiction unit at Assiut University hospitals

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age above 18 years.
  • Clearly consenting to participate in the study. . patient with substance use disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Intoxication or withdrawal state.
  • Comorbid Axis I psychiatric disorder.
  • any current or past neurological disorder.

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
cases
patients with cannabis use disorder
Diagnostic test: MRI brain

1. Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ): A 10-item scale designed to measure respondents' tendency to regulate their emotions in two ways: (1) Cognitive Reappraisal and (2) Expressive Suppression. Respondents answer each item on a 7-point Likert-type scale .

UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale- Short form: The UPPS-P impulsivity scale is a 20-item scale designed to assess five distinct personality traits to impulsive behavior: Negative Urgency, Lack of Perseverance, Lack of Premeditation, Positive Urgency and Sensation Seeking .

Magnetic resonance imaging examination:

The MR examination of brain was done using 1.5T MR scanner (Achieva, Philips Medical Systems, The Netherlands) with a 16 channel head coil without using any sedation.

Other Names:
  • Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)
  • UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale
  • structured clinical interview

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
degree of impulsivity in addicts
Time Frame: 7 months
the UPPS-P scale was used to measure the degree of impulsivity. it is a 20-item scale designed to assess five distinct personality traits to impulsive behavior: Negative Urgency, Lack of Perseverance, Lack of Premeditation, Positive Urgency and Sensation Seeking
7 months
measuring the volume of prefrontal cortex in addicts
Time Frame: 7 months
MRI brain with voxel based morphometry was used in measuring the volume of different brain regions involved in the brain reward system
7 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Assiut University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Khaled AM Elbeh, professor, Assiut University
  • Study Director: Yasser M Elsorogy, professor, Assiut University
  • Study Director: Gilan K Ramadan, Lecturer, Assiut University
  • Study Director: Gehan S Seif, professor, Assiut University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

March 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 30, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

December 20, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 20, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 23, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

March 30, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 25, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 10, 2022

Last Verified

January 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MRI brain study in addiction

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

No

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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