What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in Psychopharmacology on October 17, 2026.

Small study links adolescent-onset cannabis use with altered reward responses

Q: What did this research study find?

In this task, regular cannabis users had **lower monetary earnings** than matched non-users; slower reaction times and reduced accuracy were trends, not established significant differences in the abstract.

Adolescent-onset regular cannabis use is associated with altered neural and behavioural responses during anticipation and feedback of monetary reward and loss.

Psychopharmacology • October 17, 2026 • Highly Relevant

🤖

AI Summary

This study asked whether adolescent-onset regular cannabis use is associated with differences in reward processing. Twenty regular cannabis users who began using before age 18 and twenty age- and sex-matched non-users completed a monetary reward task during functional MRI. The users reported lower monetary earnings, with a trend toward slower responses and lower accuracy; the abstract does not provide numerical effect sizes or establish that these differences were statistically significant.

Compared with non-users, cannabis users showed different activity in reward-related brain regions while anticipating and receiving monetary wins or avoiding losses, alongside disrupted links between brain activity and task performance. These preliminary findings describe associations, not proof that cannabis use caused the changes. The study’s small, specific sample limits how broadly the results apply, and this abstract-based summary cannot establish the mechanisms or longer-term consequences of cannabis use.

💡 Key Findings

In this task, regular cannabis users had lower monetary earnings than matched non-users; slower reaction times and reduced accuracy were trends, not established significant differences in the abstract.

Moderate

55%

During anticipation of a monetary win, users showed lower striatal activity; during anticipation of a loss, they showed higher activity in the ventral striatum and frontal pole.

Moderate

55%

Brain activity during some reward and loss outcomes differed between groups, and the abstract reports disrupted brain–behaviour coupling.

Moderate

50%

The findings are preliminary associations in a small, specific group; they cannot establish that cannabis use caused the observed differences.

High

90%

📄 Original Abstract

RATIONALE: Regular cannabis use has been associated with alterations in reward-related neural processes, yet findings remain inconsistent and the relationship between neural activity and behavioural performance is not fully understood. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to characterise neural and behavioural correlates of reward processing in regular cannabis users (CU) compared with matched non-users (NU) using the Monetary Incentive Delay Task (MIDT). METHODS: Twenty adolescent-onset regular cannabis users (CU; ≥4 days/week for 2 years, with regular use initiated before age 18) and twenty age- and sex-matched non-users (NU) completed the Monetary Incentive Delay Task during functional MRI. Firstly, we assessed behavioural performance through reaction times, accuracy and monetary earnings to determine whether potential neural alterations were reflected in task performance. Secondly, focusing on reward-related brain regions, we examined group differences in BOLD functional MRI activity during anticipation and outcome phases separately for monetary win and loss conditions. Finally, we explored the association between behavioural performance and neural activation. RESULTS: Our findings provide preliminary evidence that adolescent-onset regular cannabis use is associated with altered engagement of key nodes within the mesocorticolimbic circuit accompanied by impaired behavioural performance. Particularly, compared with NU, CU showed (I) lower striatal activity during anticipation of monetary win and higher ventral striatum and frontal pole activity during anticipation of monetary loss; (II) different VTA BOLD contrast estimates during outcome of successful monetary win and loss avoidance, and lower frontal pole activity during outcome of unsuccessful loss avoidance; (III) lower monetary rewards and a trend towards slower reaction times and reduced accuracy; (IV) disrupted brain-behaviour coupling. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study may help inform future research on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying changes in reward function and the resultant behavioural consequences of adolescent-onset cannabis use.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Psychopharmacology
Published: October 17, 2026
PMID: 42891834
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-026-07183-9

Authors (8)

Giada Lombardi Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Grace Blest-Hopley , NWPharmaTech, London, UK.
Martina Maria Tarantini Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Aisling O'Neill Department of Psychology, St Patrick's Mental Health Services, Dublin, Ireland.
Robin Wilson South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
+3 more authors