Polysomnogram changes in marijuana users who report sleep disturbances during prior abstinence.

Background: Abrupt discontinuation of heavy marijuana (MJ) use is associated with self-reports of sleep difficulty. Disturbed sleep is clinically important because MJ users experiencing sleep problems may relapse to MJ use to improve their sleep quality. Few studies have used polysomnography (PSG) to characterize changes in sleep architecture during abrupt abstinence from heavy MJ use.

Sleep disturbance in heavy marijuana users.

Study Objective: To determine if recently abstinent, heavy marijuana (MJ) users show differences in polysomnographic (PSG) measures compared with a drug-free control group.

Design: A group of carefully selected heavy MJ users were chosen for study inclusion and matched to a drug-free control group. Questionnaire data were collected prior to cessation of MJ use.

The differential relationship between cocaine use and marijuana use on decision-making performance over repeat testing with the Iowa Gambling Task.

Decision-making deficits are a robust cognitive correlate of substance abuse, but few studies have addressed the long-term differential associations of cocaine use and marijuana (MJ) use on decision-making. This study utilized the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a widely used measure of decision-making, to investigate the relationship between cocaine and MJ use and IGT learning. We analyzed between and within group differences across two consecutive testing sessions in abstinent users of either MJ or cocaine.

Prefrontal cortical dysfunction in abstinent cocaine abusers.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and lateral prefrontal (LPFC) cortex are brain regions important to executive cognitive functions (ECF). We determined ACC and LPFC function in 23-day abstinent cocaine abusers using positron emission tomography (PET H(2)(15)O) during performance of a modified version of the Stroop Task. Cocaine abusers showed less activation than non-drug-using comparison subjects in the left ACC and the right LPFC and greater activation in the right ACC.

Somatic symptoms and physiologic responses in generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder: an ambulatory monitor study.

Background: Physiologic responses of patients with anxiety disorders to everyday events are poorly understood.

Objective: To compare self-reports and physiologic recordings in patients with panic disorder (PD), patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and nonanxious controls during daily activities.

Design: Participants underwent four 6-hour recording sessions during daily activities while wearing an ambulatory monitor.