How sudden PTSD-like stress may increase risk of cannabis addiction
Official title: Neuroadaptation produced by acute PTSD-like stress create vulnerability for cannabis addiction
Funded at Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center · NIH-11213977 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether an acute, severe stress reaction can change the brain in ways that make veterans more likely to develop cannabis addiction.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2019 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX004727-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11213977 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans with combat-related PTSD and problematic cannabis use are the population most relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without PTSD or cannabis-use problems, or those seeking immediate clinical care, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this preclinical project.
What this research studies
This research uses a rat model that combines a short, intense stress exposure with voluntary use of THC+CBD to mimic aspects of PTSD and cannabis use disorder. Scientists pair a specific odor with the stress event and then measure how that cue and drug exposure change brain connections in regions involved in reward and motivation. They focus on synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum to find cellular mechanisms that link conditioned stress to increased drug-seeking. Findings from these animal experiments are intended to point toward targets for preventing or treating cannabis problems after trauma.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal brain changes that lead from trauma to cannabis addiction and suggest new ways to prevent or treat comorbid PTSD and cannabis use disorder in veterans.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies have shown that stress-driven changes in reward circuits can increase drug-seeking, but applying these mechanisms specifically to cannabis dependence is less established.
Where this research is happening
-
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kalivas, Peter W — Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Kalivas, Peter W
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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.