Open AccessMobile app detection of THC-related cognitive impairment in heavy users
Author(s) -
Ari P. Kirshenbaum,
Cynthia Lewis,
Andy Kaplan
Publication year - 2022
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.26828/cannabis.2022.01.000.10
Subject(s) - cannabis , neurocognitive , cognitive impairment , perception , mobile apps , population , cognition , effects of cannabis , psychology , computer science , medicine , world wide web , psychiatry , neuroscience , environmental health , cannabidiol
The degree to which frequent users of cannabis experience cognitive impairment from acute self-administration has been questioned on the basis of behavioral tolerance to THC. "Indicator" is a downloadable mobile software app that assesses cognitive, perceptual, and motor skills using a variety of brief videogames. In the course of one month (April 2021), the app was used by 199 adult users who self-identified as either use cannabis "frequently" or "continuously." Sixty-one of these heavy users played at least two of the videogames available in the app while sober, and this was on the first occasion of using the app. Ninety-six used the app while intoxicated by cannabis, and also on their first instance of using the app. Independent-samples t-test was performed to compare sober-versus-intoxicated performance on each of two separate videogames, and these videogames specifically assessed (a) time perception and (b) reaction speed and accuracy. Clear evidence of cannabis-related impairment was evident for both videogames (p < 0.05) for this heavy-using population. This evidence suggests that neurocognitive performance-related deficits are apparent in a population of users who are well-accustomed to the psychopharmacological influence of THC.