Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40779835›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2025

Cannabis use frequency is associated with emotion dysregulation among persons receiving long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain: A psychophysiological study.

Joao P De Aquino, Gabriel P A Costa, Julio C Nunes, Justin Hudak, Madeleine Odette, Eric L Garland

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Joao P De AquinoDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS), West Haven, CT, United States; Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (CNRU), Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC), New Haven, CT, United States. Electronic address: joao.deaquino@yale.edu.
Gabriel P A CostaDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
Julio C NunesDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
Justin HudakCenter on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
Madeleine OdetteSanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.
Eric L GarlandSanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States. Electronic address: egarland@health.ucsd.edu.

Funding

HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research CentersRM1DA055310 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI BARRY, DECLAN T., BECKER, WILLIAM C · 2021 to 2025
$12.9M
Optimizing Patient-Centered Opioid Tapering with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery EnhancementR01DA058621 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI Nina Cooperman, Eric Lee Garland · 2023 to 2026
$4.6M
Schizophrenia Research FellowshipR25MH071584 · NIMH · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Christopher John Pittenger · 2005 to 2026
$4.4M
Combination of THC and CBD as a Novel Treatment for Co-Occurring Opioid Addiction and Chronic PainR01DA060066 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Joao Paulo De Aquino · 2024 to 2026
$1.3M
Cannabidiol Pharmacotherapy for Comorbid Opioid Addiction and Chronic PainK23DA052682 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI DE AQUINO, JOAO PAULO · 2021 to 2025
$959k
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Oral and Vaporized THC in Older AdultsR21DA057240 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI DE AQUINO, JOAO PAULO · 2022 to 2023
$360k
NIDA NIH HHS K23 DA052682NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA058621NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA060066NIDA NIH HHS R21 DA057240NIDA NIH HHS RM1 DA055310NIMH NIH HHS R25 MH071584
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith evolving legislation and attitudes towards cannabis in the United States, individuals receiving long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic pain increasingly use cannabis intending to relieve pain and reduce opioid consumption. Although they might also use cannabis to compensate for emotion dysregulation, the role of emotion regulation capacity in this population's patterns of cannabis use has not been investigated. This study examined whether deficits in emotion regulation capacity, an endophenotype assessed via psychophysiological measures, are associated with more frequent cannabis use among individuals receiving LTOT for chronic pain.

methodsWe analyzed data from 104 participants (mean age=51.12 years; 68.35 % female; 88.46 % White) receiving LTOT for chronic pain. Cannabis use frequency was quantified by days of use over 90 days. Emotion regulation capacity was indexed using skin conductance response (SCR) and corrugator electromyography (fEMG) during passive viewing or cognitive reappraisal of negative stimuli. Pain severity was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory.

resultsSmaller reductions in SCR (β=-0.018, p < 0.001) and corrugator fEMG (β=-9.59, p < 0.001) difference scores, signifying weaker emotion regulation capacity, were associated with more days of cannabis use. Pain severity was not significantly associated with cannabis use frequency (β=0.026, p = 0.370).

conclusionsThese findings suggest that impaired emotion regulation capacity might be a more critical endophenotype associated with frequent cannabis use than pain severity and support the notion that cannabis use might primarily modulate affective processes in this population. These results highlight the potential for targeted emotion regulation interventions to address heavy cannabis use among pain patients receiving LTOT.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidChronic PainEmotional RegulationMarijuana UseAdultElectromyographyFemaleGalvanic Skin ResponseHumansMaleMiddle AgedAnalgesics, OpioidChronic painDelta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolOpioid analgesicsPhytocannabinoids

Identifiers

PMID40779835
PMCPMC12396927

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.