Neurobehavioral Impacts of Medical Cannabis on Chronic Pain

Purpose

More than 60 million adults have chronic pain, making it one of the most common medical conditions in the US. Chronic pain can seriously limit quality of life. Medical cannabis is an increasingly common form of treatment for chronic pain, and further research is needed to understand its effects on the brain and the body. Participants in this study are individuals who have been prescribed medical cannabis but have not yet started their treatment.

What will this study involve?

The study will take place over 4 months.

  • We are not involved in the prescribing or administration of your medical cannabis treatment, but we want to enroll you in our study before you take your first dose or within the first month of your treatment.
  • We are also recruiting people with chronic pain who do not use medical cannabis.
  • First, you will come into our laboratory at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for a 7 hour assessment. You will fill out questionnaires, complete cognitive tasks on an iPad, undergo a blood draw, and have a brain scan.
  • Following this visit, we expect that you will start taking your medical cannabis. We will call you once each month for three months to ask how your medical cannabis treatments are going.
  • Then, at the end of four months, you will come back for another in-person visit where we will repeat the questionnaires, iPad tasks, blood draw, and brain scan.

Who can participate?

This study is currently enrolling new participants

Adults ages 30-75 who:

  • Are newly prescribed medical cannabis for a chronic pain condition
  • Have not begun taking their medical cannabis or are within the first month of treatment
  • Chronic pain patients who do not use medical cannabis; can be using any other form of treatment
  • Do not currently use nicotine more than 5 times a week
  • Do not currently use recreational cannabis (marijuana)
  • Are native English speakers

There may be other reasons you are not eligible to participate.

To confirm your eligibility, please click the button below:

How am I compensated?

You will be given $150 at the end of your first visit. After each monthly phone call you will be given $50. You will be given an additional $150 for completing your follow up visit.

Will I get to see my results?

We will notify you if your data indicates a health issue that you should pursue, but otherwise we are not approved to release the data to you. This is because the research study is not a medical visit. There is no information placed in medical records, and your physicians are not involved in the protocol. 

Read about the differences between clinical care and research

Study Team

  • Principal Investigators: Monica Luciana, Ph.D. and Angela Birnbaum, Ph.D.
  • Study Coordinator: Marike Kay
  • NeuroHealth Research Assistant: Andrew Brown

Contact

For questions about this study or to verify your eligibility, please email or call us:

 

Updated 9/12/2025