Simon Shauna G, Jamner Larry D, Dent Amy L, Granger Douglas A, Riis Jenna L
Department of Psychological Science, School of Social Ecology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
Department of Psychological Science, School of Social Ecology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
Addict Behav. 2023 Jan;136:107489. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107489. Epub 2022 Sep 7.
To advance our understanding of the health-related consequences of chronic cannabis use, this study examined hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) reactivity and regulation in response to a well-characterized, acute, social evaluative stress task among cannabis users and non-users. We also explored differences in HPA-SNS coordination across the stress task in cannabis users and non-users.
Participants were 75 adults (53% female) who reported no use of tobacco/nicotine products. Cannabis use was measured using self-report and salivary/urinary THC levels. Participants were classified as cannabis users (n = 33) if they reported using cannabis at least twice per week in the prior year and had a positive salivary/urinary THC test or as non-users (n = 42) if they reported no use in the prior year and had a negative THC test. During a laboratory visit, participants completed the standard Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and provided saliva samples before, and 5, 20, and 40 min after the task. Samples were assayed for salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA) as indices of HPA axis and SNS activity, respectively.
Multilevel piecewise growth models revealed that, relative to non-users, cannabis users showed (a) blunted cortisol reactivity and recovery to the TSST, and (b) greater reductions in sAA concentrations following the TSST. Chronic cannabis users may exhibit blunted HPA axis responses and greater SNS recovery to acute psychosocial stress. Implications of individual differences in stress reactivity and regulation for the biobehavioral health of chronic cannabis users are discussed.
为了加深我们对长期使用大麻对健康相关后果的理解，本研究调查了大麻使用者和非使用者在面对一项特征明确的急性社会评价应激任务时，下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴和交感神经系统（SNS）的反应性及调节情况。我们还探讨了大麻使用者和非使用者在整个应激任务中HPA-SNS协调性的差异。
参与者为75名成年人（53%为女性），他们报告未使用烟草/尼古丁产品。使用自我报告以及唾液/尿液中四氢大麻酚（THC）水平来测量大麻使用情况。如果参与者报告在前一年每周至少使用大麻两次且唾液/尿液THC检测呈阳性，则被归类为大麻使用者（n = 33）；如果他们报告在前一年未使用且THC检测呈阴性，则被归类为非使用者（n = 42）。在一次实验室访视期间，参与者完成标准的特里尔社会应激测试（TSST），并在任务前、任务后5分钟、20分钟和40分钟提供唾液样本。分别检测样本中的唾液皮质醇和α-淀粉酶（sAA），作为HPA轴和SNS活动的指标。
多层次分段增长模型显示，与非使用者相比，大麻使用者表现出：（a）对TSST的皮质醇反应性和恢复减弱，以及（b）TSST后sAA浓度的下降幅度更大。长期大麻使用者可能对急性心理社会应激表现出HPA轴反应减弱和SNS恢复增强。讨论了应激反应性和调节方面的个体差异对长期大麻使用者生物行为健康的影响。
