Neuro HIV Study

STUDY BASICS

Are you living with HIV and do you regularly use cannabis? Are you aged 19-55? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study to help better understand how chronic cannabis use affects brain activity and mental functioning. Participation involves 2-3 visits with MEG and MRI scanning.

STUDY PURPOSE

Regular cannabis use can have an impact on the brain, but researchers do not fully understand how cannabis use affects people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). The purpose of this study is to help researchers better understand how chronic cannabis use affects brain activity and mental function by comparing information from people with and without HIV. Researchers hope their findings will lead to additional studies that may help people living with HIV in the future.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Men and women aged 19-55
• Diagnosed with HIV
• Regularly use cannabis (at least 2 times per week for the past 2 years)
• On a stable dose of HIV medications for at least the past 3 months
• Not pregnant or planning to become pregnant
• Not diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
• Not legally blind and do not need hearing aids
• Able to read and write in English

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Participation involves two visits over the course of about two weeks. Each visit will take about 2.5-3 hours to complete. Participants will be asked to provide blood and urine samples, complete a series of mental tests, undergo an interview about substance use history, and undergo two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and one magnetoencephalography (MEG) scan. MRI and MEG scans are non-invasive and do not use radiation.

Participants will be paid up to $225.00 for completing all visits and procedures.