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An investigation of Mismatch Negativity in current and ex- cannabis users using a feature controlled method

Felicity Webster1*, Samantha Broyd1, Lisa-marie Greenwood1, Rodney Croft1, Juanita Todd2, 3, Patricia T. Michie2, 3, Stuart Johnstone1, Ben Lee-Bates1, Hannah Coyle1 and Nadia Solowij1, 3
  • 1 University of Wollongong, School of Psychology and Centre for Psychophysics, Psychophysiology and Psychopharmacology, Australia
  • 2 School of Psychology and Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, Australia
  • 3 Schizophrenia Research Institute, Australia

Aim: The Mismatch Negativity (MMN) is a brain event-related potential marker of sensory memory and prediction error. Studies have found reduced MMN amplitude in long-term cannabis users, and in ex-cannabis users, relative to non-user controls. These groups have not been directly compared. A criticism of previous research is a lack of control for perceptual differences between the deviant and standard tone within the oddball sequence of a multifeature paradigm, which may enhance N1 and therefore overestimate MMN. The current study investigated the use of a novel, feature-controlled extraction method to further explore MMN in chronic users, ex-users and controls. Method: 39 chronic users, 16 ex-users and 44 non-user controls completed a multi-feature MMN paradigm with duration (100ms), frequency (1200Hz) and intensity (90dB) deviants (deviants 6%; standards 82%, 50ms, 1000Hz, 80dB), with runs preceded by trains of deviants presented as standards. MMN was extracted using (i) the traditional method (deviant – oddball standard) and (ii) a feature-controlled method (deviant – perceptually identical stimuli presented as standards prior to the oddball sequence). Results: A main effect of Method type indicated the traditional method produced larger MMN amplitude estimates for all groups and deviant conditions. A main effect of Group was identified for frequency MMN indicating reduced MMN in chronic users compared to controls. In ex-users, frequency MMN was reduced relative to controls using the traditional method, but only at trend level for the feature-controlled method. No differences between chronic and ex-users were identified for any deviant condition with either method. Conclusions: Reduced frequency MMN in chronic and 33-month abstinent users suggests chronic use may lead to early sensory information processing deficits that persist after cessation of use. These data demonstrate the utility of a feature-controlled method of examining MMN, and suggest the traditional method may overestimate MMN due to stimulus perceptual differences enhancing N1.

Keywords: mismatch negativity, Cannabis, feature-controlled method, chronic users, ex-users

Conference: ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Wollongong, Australia, 20 Nov - 22 Nov, 2013.

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Topic: Other...

Citation: Webster F, Broyd S, Greenwood L, Croft R, Todd J, Michie PT, Johnstone S, Lee-Bates B, Coyle H and Solowij N (2013). An investigation of Mismatch Negativity in current and ex- cannabis users using a feature controlled method. Conference Abstract: ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.213.00021

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Received: 25 Oct 2013; Published Online: 05 Nov 2013.

* Correspondence: Ms. Felicity Webster, University of Wollongong, School of Psychology and Centre for Psychophysics, Psychophysiology and Psychopharmacology, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, faw122@uowmail.edu.au