Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons play a pivotal role in processing reward-related information and are involved in drug addiction and mental illness in humans. Information is conveyed to the VTA in large part by glutamatergic afferents that arise in various brain nuclei, including the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). Using a unique rat brain slice preparation, we found that PPN...
Marijuana impairs learning and memory through actions of its psychoactive constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC), in the hippocampus, through activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1R). CB1Rs are found on glutamate and GABA neuron axon terminals in the hippocampus where they control neurotransmitter release. Previous studies suggest that Delta(9)-THC is a partial agonist...