Detecting acute brain impairment caused by marijuana

Key Researchers: Jodi Gilman, MGH, Harvard Medical School; A. Eden Evins, MGH, Harvard Medical School; Meryem Ayşe Yücel, BU/MGH

Summary: With increasing rates of legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use in the United States, driving under the influence of marijuana (MJ) has become an increasingly critical public health issue. Cannabis is the most frequently detected illicit drug in drivers. Cannabis doubles the chance of motor vehicle accidents, yet, to date, we have no way to detect whether an individual is acutely impaired. Thus, it is essential to develop novel methods to detect acute cannabis impairment, applicable in real-world settings. This project aims to test whether fNIRS can detect Cannabis intoxication through examining the effect of Cannabis exposure on resting state and task based activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region rich in neuronal CB1 cannabinoid receptors.

Publications: Gilman et al., Neuroimage, 2019, PMID: 31075393

Funding: STTR (Eden)