Prior cannabis vapor exposure impairs pattern separation in rodents of multiple ages but is rescued by citicoline administration.
Caitlyn C Costa, Aoife S Weiss, Caroline M Limbaker, Anna E Kirkland, Lindsay M Squeglia, Carmela M Reichel, Rachel D Penrod, Jordan S Carter
Neuroscience May 25, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.03.031 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male and female Sprague Dawley rats at adolescence (post-natal day 36-57), young adulthood (post-natal day 177-210), and middle adulthood (post-natal day 360-393) |
| Interventions | Vaporized THC cannabis extract citicoline |
| Duration | 14 days forced exposure (adolescence) or 20 days self-administration (young and middle adulthood), with testing before and after exposure |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Citicoline Cognitive deficits Memory Pattern separation |
| Key findings | Vaporized THC or cannabis extract impaired spatial pattern separation in rats at all ages during early abstinence, and citicoline administration rescued these deficits. |
Abstract
Rates of cannabis use continue to rise, however, the neurocognitive effects are not fully characterized. Deficitsin memory processes, especially in adolescents, have been reportedfollowing exposure toΔ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive componentin cannabis. Treatments addressing these deficits have been unsuccessful. Here, we test the hypothesis that vaporized THC/cannabis extract will impair spatial pattern separation at several ages, as assessed by the spontaneous location recognition (SLR) task. We also test the hypothesis that citicoline, a compound with memory-modulating effects, will restore THC-induced deficits in SLR. At three age points (adolescence post-natal day [PND] 36-57, young adulthood PND 177-210, and middle adulthood PND 360-393), male and female Sprague Dawley rats were longitudinally testedon the SLR task before (SLR PRE) and after (SLR POST) vaporized THC or cannabis extract exposure. This occurred via forced exposure (14 days, adolescence) or self-administration (20 days, young and/or middle adulthood). During the SLR POST, subjectsreceived saline or citicoline injections. At all ages, rats demonstrated robust performance of the SLR PRE task. During early abstinence from THC/cannabis vapor exposure, rats had impaired SLR POST performance that was rescued by citicoline administration, particularly when given during memory encoding/consolidation.Vehicle-exposed rats had intact SLR POST performance, hich was not changed by citicoline.This study is the first to demonstrate THC-induced deficits in pattern separation. While these deficits are present during early abstinence, SLR performance recovers during prolonged abstinence. Furthermore, our results indicate thatciticoline may repair THC-induced cognitivedeficits, though the mechanism requires further exploration.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 20
- A randomised, placebo-controlled, double blind, crossover trial on the effect of a 20:1 cannabidiol: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol medical cannabis product on neurocognition, attention, and mood. European Neuropsychopharmacology May 2024
- Sex Differences in Response-Contingent Cannabis Vapor Administration During Adolescence Mediate Enduring Effects on Behavioral Flexibility and Prefrontal Microglia Activation in Rats Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research January 8, 2024
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- Changes in striatal dopamine release, sleep, and behavior during spontaneous Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol abstinence in male and female mice. Neuropsychopharmacology July 2022
- Adolescents are more sensitive than adults to acute behavioral and cognitive effects of THC. Neuropsychopharmacology June 1, 2022
and 15 more in the library