Rationale: Previous studies have suggested that chronic cannabis use has been associated with increased blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response during a response inhibition task; however, these studies primarily included males.
Objectives: We investigated whether gender moderated the effects of cannabis use on BOLD response and behavioral performance during a Go-NoGo task in adolescents and young adults following 2 weeks of monitored abstinence.
Methods: Participants included 77 16-26-year olds (MJ = 36, controls = 41). An emotion-based Go-NoGo task required participants to inhibit their response during a calm face. A whole-brain analysis looked at differences between cannabis group, gender, and their interaction.
Results: Significant greater BOLD responses were observed in cannabis users compared with that in controls in the left frontal cortex, left cingulate cortex, and the left thalamus during correct response inhibitions; gender did not moderate these effects.
Conclusion: Supporting previous research, cannabis users showed greater BOLD responses in core areas associated with response inhibition during a Go-NoGo task, even after a minimum of 2 weeks of abstinence.
Keywords: Adolescents; Cannabis; Emerging adults; Go-NoGo; Response inhibition; fMRI.