Teens' responses to cannabis and cannabis reminders as signals of future problems

Sensitivity to Cannabis Effects and Cue Reactivity as Markers of a Developing Disorder in Adolescents

NIH-funded research Brown University · NIH-11291812

This project follows teens who use cannabis to see how their reactions to the drug and to cannabis cues might signal who will develop cannabis-related problems.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionBrown University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Providence, United States)
Project IDNIH-11291812 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would join a group of 224 teens who have used cannabis recently and complete a lab session plus yearly follow-ups over three years. Between yearly visits, you'll use a smartphone app to report your real-world experiences and reactions for 28 days each year. The lab visits include controlled tests of how cannabis affects you and how you respond to cannabis-related cues. By combining the phone reports and lab measures across ages 13 to 19, researchers aim to track how responses change as teens grow.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents aged about 13–16 at the start who have used cannabis within the past month and can attend lab visits and use a smartphone for daily reports.

Not a fit: Teens who do not use cannabis, are outside the enrolled age range, cannot attend visits in Providence, RI, or cannot use a smartphone will likely not benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help spot teens at higher risk for cannabis use disorder earlier so they can get targeted prevention or support.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research in adults and some adolescent work links cue reactivity and drug effects to later problems, but using repeated smartphone EMA together with lab measures across adolescence in an accelerated design is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Providence, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.