The neural oscillations serving task switching are altered in cannabis users

Regular cannabis is known to impact higher-order cognitive processes such as attention, but far less is known regarding cognitive flexibility, a component of executive function. Moreover, whether such changes are related to aberrations in the neural oscillatory dynamics serving flexibility remains poorly understood.

Quantify the neural oscillatory dynamics serving cognitive flexibility by having participants complete a task-switching paradigm during magnetoencephalography (MEG). Probe whole-brain maps to identify alterations in chronic cannabis users relative to nonusers and determine how these alterations relate to the degree of cannabis use involvement.

In all, 25 chronic cannabis users and 30 demographically matched nonuser controls completed neuropsychological testing, an interview regarding their substance use, a urinalysis, and a task switch paradigm during MEG. Time-frequency windows of interest were identified using a data-driven statistical approach and these were imaged using a beamformer. Whole-brain neural switch cost maps were computed by subtracting the oscillatory maps of the no-switch condition from the switch condition per participant. These were examined for group differences.

Cannabis users had weaker theta switch cost responses in the dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices, while nonusers showed the typical pattern of greater recruitment during switch relative to no switch trials. In addition, theta activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex was significantly correlated with cannabis use involvement.

Cannabis users exhibited altered theta switch cost activity compared to nonusers in prefrontal cortical regions, which are critical for cognitive flexibility. This activity scaled with cannabis use involvement, indicating a link between cannabis use and aberrant oscillatory activity underlying cognitive flexibility.