Sensation-seeking, reward sensitivity
and early cannabis use
December 10, 2015 in Medicine & Health /
Psychology & Psychiatry
Sensation seeking is a personality trait that
describes a person's tendency to seek out novel and exciting experiences, and a
high level of sensation seeking has been implicated as a risk factor for
addiction. According to a report today at the annual meeting of the American
College of Neuropsychopharmacology, in Hollywood, Florida, sensation seeking is
related to reward sensitivity, which is a trait that characterizes how
rewarding a person finds different experiences. Further, reward sensitivity is
itself related to cannabis use, and partially explains the relationship between
it and sensation seeking. Importantly, the researchers describe a school-based
psychological intervention that both targets sensation seeking and affects the
use of cannabis in teens, delaying the onset of first use, and slowing the
progression from light to heavy cannabis use in teens already using.
In a very large sample of nearly 4000
adolescents, Dr. Patricia Conrod and her colleagues at the University of
Montreal and Le Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine evaluated
reward sensitivity over time. The degree of reward sensitivity was determined
using a laboratory "go-no go" task, in which individuals are
instructed as to when to act and when not to act, in order to obtain reward or
avoid punishment. The investigators found that reward sensitivity develops
differently in boys and girls and is related to whether sensation seeking is
high or low. More details about this and related studies can be found online
at http://www.co-venture.ca, which describes the Co-Venture Trial, in which
personality-targeted interventions are evaluated for their impact on 5-year
addiction outcomes and cognitive functioning.
Dr. Conrod's study suggests that
psychological interventions aimed at helping youth manage sensation seeking
and reward sensitivity may help reduce cannabis use. This may be particularly
timely, given that teens perceive cannabis use as being low risk, even in the
face of increasing evidence that cannabis use can negatively affect the
developing brain and its cognitive functions.
Provided by American College of
Neuropsychopharmacology
"Sensation-seeking, reward
sensitivity and early cannabis use" December 10, 2015 http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-12-sensation-seeking-reward-sensitivity-early-cannabis.html
