Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Sangiamo, Daniel T.
• Weingarten, Michael J.
• Choi, Chan Young
• Das, Aditi
• Liang, Nu-Chu

Titel

Experience with dronabinol consumption facilitated a stimulant effect of alcohol and affected alcohol-related changes in frontal cortical endocannabinoid levels in male rats

Ist Teil von

• Behavioural brain research, 2023-08, Vol.452, p.114587, Article 114587

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Combined use of cannabis and alcohol is common in adolescents. However, the extent to which such polydrug exposure affects the brain and behaviors remains under-investigated in preclinical studies. This study tested the hypothesis that combined exposure of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, and alcohol will have additive effects on cognitive impairments and altered endocannabinoid levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Male Long Evans rats were provided with daily access to cookies laced with oil or dronabinol, a synthetic THC, during adolescence. Three days after discontinuation of edible THC, the effect of orally administered 3 g/kg alcohol on Barnes maze performance was assessed. The results showed that experience with edible THC facilitated the occurrence of increased moving speed on the maze induced by repeated alcohol administration. However, contrasting to the hypothesis, the combined THC and alcohol exposure did not lead to additive deficits in learning and memory on the Barnes maze. While little effect on endocannabinoid levels was observed in the hippocampus, acute abstinence from alcohol significantly reduced endocannabinoid levels in the frontal cortex. In particular, reduction of N-oleoyl ethanolamine (OEA) and N-stearoyl ethanolamine (SEA) were robust and had an interactive effect with discontinuation from edible THC. These findings add to the scarce literature on THC and alcohol associated changes in endocannabinoid levels and provide insights to future investigations on the roles of OEA and SEA on physiology and behaviors following THC and alcohol co-exposure during adolescence. •Adolescent rats readily consumed cookies laced with dronabinol (THC).•Edible THC increased appetite with a compensatory suppression of food intake.•Experience with edible THC facilitated alcohol-induced increase in moving speed.•Oral alcohol (3 g/kg) increased errors made to locate escape on a Barnes maze.•Abstinence from THC and alcohol blunted OEA and SEA levels in the frontal cortex.