How medical cannabis affects thinking, movement, and daily activities
Monitoring acute and longer-term effects of cannabis on psychomotor performance in daily life in medical cannabis patients
['FUNDING_U01'] · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES · NIH-11136534
This project uses your smartphone sensors and short surveys to track how medical cannabis affects reaction time, movement, pain, and anxiety for people who use cannabis medically.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_U01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11136534 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You would use your smartphone to answer brief, real-time questions about pain, anxiety, and cannabis use and to share passive sensor data like accelerometer and phone activity. The study looks for immediate changes in reaction time and movement after using cannabis and follows participants for about a year to see longer-term patterns. Moment-by-moment data from the phone will be combined with longer follow-up to understand when cannabis helps symptoms and when it might impair daily tasks like driving or work. The team aims to develop low-burden ways to raise your awareness about possible cannabis-related impairment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who use medical cannabis to manage chronic pain or anxiety, who own and regularly use a smartphone and are willing to complete brief surveys and share phone sensor data, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not use cannabis medically, who cannot or will not use a smartphone, or whose health issues are unrelated to pain or anxiety are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could provide patients with personalized signals or guidance about when cannabis might impair reaction time or make safety-critical activities risky.
How similar studies have performed: Laboratory and driving-simulator studies have shown cannabis can slow reaction time, but using smartphone sensors and momentary surveys to monitor these effects in daily life is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES — Newark, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: CHUNG, TAMMY — RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
- Study coordinator: CHUNG, TAMMY
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.