Marijuana's brain impact in HIV patients under the microscope
NCT ID NCT04810858
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how chronic marijuana use changes brain inflammation and thinking abilities in people with HIV. Researchers will use brain scans and blood tests to measure brain health in 220 adults. The goal is to understand the effects, not to test a new treatment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 220 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2021
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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25 to 59 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * verified HIV status * Current marijuana use (MJ+ groups only) * No current marijuana use (MJ- groups only) * current engagement in HIV care (HIV+ participants only) * receipt of cART as first-line of treatment (HIV+ participants only) * stable cART regimen (HIV+ participants only) * undetectable HIV RNA viral load for \>1 year (HIV+ participants only) Exclusion Criteria: * Lifetime abuse for any illicit drug other than marijuana * \<9th grade education; illiteracy or lack of fluency in English * history of moderate or severe head trauma * unstable or serious neurological disorders * severe mental illness * systemic autoimmune diseases * immunotherapy * MRI contraindications
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Biotech Place
RECRUITINGWinston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a single therapy session ease depression in HIV care?
- Designing an HIV vaccine that avoids the Virus's sneaky tactics
- A handful of peanuts a day: could it sharpen teen brains?
- Can a phone app help young adults with HIV stay on track?