Selective and Context-Dependent Social and Behavioral Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Weakly Electric Fish.
Brandon Neeley, Tyler Overholt, Emily Artz, Steven G Kinsey, Gary Marsat
Brain, Behavior and Evolution 2018 DOI: 10.1159/000490171 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental behavioral study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Weakly electric fish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) |
| Intervention | Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Apteronotus leptorhynchus Cannabinoid Communication Electric fish Neuromodulator Neurotransmitter Social behavior THC δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol |
| Key findings | THC injection reduced locomotor behavior in weakly electric fish and altered communication and social behavior in a context-dependent manner: THC-injected fish chirped less than controls in familiar environments but not novel ones, and clustered less than controls only in novel environments. The authors argue these results identify behaviors influenced by cannabinoid receptor activation and support the fish as a model for studying the cannabinoid system. |
Abstract
Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are widespread in the nervous system and influence a variety of behaviors. Weakly electric fish have been a useful model system in the study of the neural basis of behavior, but we know nothing of the role played by the CB system. Here, we determine the overall behavioral effect of a nonselective CB receptor agonist, namely Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in the weakly electric fish Apte-ronotus leptorhynchus. Using various behavioral paradigms involving social stimuli, we show that THC decreases locomotor behavior, as in many species, and influences communication and social behavior. Across the different experiments, we found that the propensity to emit communication signals (chirps) and seek social interactions was affected in a context-dependent manner. We explicitly tested this hypothesis by comparing the behavioral effects of THC injection in fish placed in a novel versus a familiar social and physical environment. THC-injected fish were less likely to chirp than control fish in familiar situations but not in novel ones. The tendency to be in close proximity to other fish was affected only in novel environments, with control fish clustering more than THC-injected ones. By identifying behaviors affected by CB agonists, our study can guide further comparative and neurophysiological studies of the role of the CB system using a weakly electric fish as a model.
Comparable studies
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| Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 17 |
| Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users | 2018 | Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) | n = 410 |
| Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers | 2018 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... | 2019 | Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation | n = 40 |