Modeling the Effects of Chronic Marijuana Use on Neuroinflammation and HIV-related Neuronal Injury
RecruitingHealthy volunteers welcome
Who can join
Ages 25 to 59 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * verified HIV status * Current marijuana use (MJ+ groups only) * No current marijuana use (MJ- groups only) * current engagement in HIV care (HIV+ participants only) * receipt of cART as first-line of treatment (HIV+ participants only) * stable cART regimen (HIV+ participants only) * undetectable HIV RNA viral load for \>1 year (HIV+ participants only) Exclusion Criteria: * Lifetime abuse for any illicit drug other than marijuana * \<9th grade education; illiteracy or lack of fluency in English * history of moderate or severe head trauma * unstable or serious neurological disorders * severe mental illness * systemic autoimmune diseases * immunotherapy * MRI contraindications
About the study
This study applies a hypothesis-driven approach to examine the effects of chronic marijuana use on HIV-associated inflammation and its subsequent impacts on central nervous system function, with the goal of identifying the mechanisms through which cannabinoids modulate neurological disorders and other comorbidities in persons with HIV.
What is being tested
- Multimodal, multi-parametric MRI (other)
- Immune and cytokine profiling (other)
- Neuropsychological testing (behavioral)
Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences · Participants: 220 · Started: Aug 18, 2021
Contact the study team
- Christina S Meade, PhD · Phone: 336-716-0695
- Sheri L Towe, PhD · Phone: 336-716-4331
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT04810858
Locations in the U.S.
| North Carolina | Biotech Place, Winston-Salem |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.