Kamila Kolpashnikova

The Effects of Chronic and Acute Cannabis Use on Cognitive-Motor Tasks

The Centre for Vision Research at York University conducted a comprehensive study examining the effects of both chronic and acute cannabis use on cognitive-motor performance. Led by York researchers, the project was devised to address a commonly asked question: Does being high affect cognitive-motor performance?

Researchers employed an online browser-based study to gather performance data from various user groups - non-users, infrequent users, frequent users, and high users of cannabis. These participants were subjected to a series of tests that gauged different cognitive and motor functions, including:

• Executive Function: This test required participants to use their mouse to connect alternating circles in a specific sequence.
• Working Memory: Participants had to observe a grid and note the location of squares that appeared per trial. The test's complexity increased with more squares to remember.
• Visual Attention: Participants had to identify and respond to specific visual cues, signifying the attention level required to distinguish between different symbols.
• Impulse Inhibition: This test gauged participants' impulse control, requiring them to respond to 'GO' stimuli and inhibit responses for 'NO-GO' stimuli.
• Motor Acuity: A navigation-based task where participants steered their cursors through a tunnel of varying lengths and sizes.
• Tunneling: A variation of the motor acuity test with different scaled track sizes.
• Task Switching Ability: Participants had to adapt and respond to alternating response rules, testing their cognitive flexibility.

The findings of the study, as visually represented in the infographic, indicated that chronic and acute cannabis use does not notably impair cognitive-motor functions. Such results hold significant implications, suggesting that there's a potential need for revising government regulations and workplace safety policies concerning cannabis consumption.

The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and VISTA at York University.