Cannabis, cognition, and the role of nicotine with Emese Kroon

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Emese Kroon. Emese is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Substance Use and Addiction Research at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The interview covers Emese’s article on associations of cannabis use with cognitive functioning in individuals with a cannabis use disorder, looking at the moderating role of nicotine.

• Why nicotine is important when exploring cannabis use disorder [01:29]
• What we know about the effects of cannabis on the human brain [02:46]
• What the effects of nicotine are on cognitive function [04:40]
• The importance of understanding cognitive function in cannabis use disorder [06:05]
• How Emese addressed the research question [07:16]
• The key findings from the research [08:56]
• How do the findings inform how we currently treat cannabis use disorder [13:15]
• The differences between Emese’s two samples in the study [16:01]
• Final thoughts from Emese [18:21]

About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research integrates computational modelling, experimental psychology, and neuroimaging to understand the neuropsychological basis of addictive behaviours. He holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bath (UK).

About Emese Kroon: Emese is a postdoctoral researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Aarhus University. Her work bridges neurocognition and socio-cultural context to understand substance use and mental health. She's especially interested in accurate measurement, cross-cultural perspectives, and social influence, and is committed to translating rigorous fundamental science into real-world policy and public dialogue on substance use.

Tsen Vei and Emese have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Original article: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of cannabis use with cognitive functioning in individuals with a cannabis use disorder: The moderating role of nicotine https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70457

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Music provided by Jack Shakespeare.

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