THC alters alters morphology of neurons in medial prefrontal cortex, orbital prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens and alters the ability of later experience to promote structural plasticity.
Bryan Kolb, Yilin Li, Terry Robinson, Linda A. Parker
Synapse March 2018 DOI: 10.1002/syn.22020 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled animal experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Long-Evans rats |
| Intervention | Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) |
| Dose | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Duration | 11 days of injections, then 90 days in complex or standard environments |
| Measures | Golgi-Cox staining; dendritic morphology and spine density |
| Topics | Neuroplasticity Cannabis |
| Keywords | D9-THC Dendrite Enriched environment Golgi-cox Spines |
| Key findings | THC given for 11 days altered dendritic arborization and spine density in the medial prefrontal cortex, orbital frontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens, and interfered with the ability of subsequent complex-environment housing to shape neuronal structure in these regions. The authors argue this may contribute to persistent behavioral and cognitive deficits associated with prolonged THC use. |
Abstract
Psychoactive drugs have the ability to alter the morphology of neuronal dendrites and spines and to influence later experience-dependent structural plasticity. If rats are given repeated injections of psychomotor stimulants (amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine) prior to being placed in complex environments, the drug experience interferes with the ability of the environment to increase dendritic arborization and spine density. Repeated exposure to Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) changes the morphology of dendrites in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). To determine if drugs other than psychomotor stimulants will also interfere with later experience-dependent structural plasticity we gave Long-Evans rats THC (0.5 mg/kg) or saline for 11 days before placing them in complex environments or standard laboratory caging for 90 days. Brains were subsequently processed for Golgi-Cox staining and analysis of dendritic morphology and spine density mPFC, orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and NAcc. THC altered both dendritic arborization and spine density in all three regions, and, like psychomotor stimulants, THC influenced the effect of later experience in complex environments to shape the structure of neurons in these three regions. We conclude that THC may therefore contribute to persistent behavioral and cognitive deficits associated with prolonged use of the drug.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Prefrontal cortical distribution of muscarinic M2 and cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptors in adult male mice with or without chronic adolescent exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Cerebral Cortex November 21, 2022
- HIV Transgenic Rats Demonstrate Impaired Sensorimotor Gating But Are Insensitive to Cannabinoid (Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol)-Induced Deficits. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology November 12, 2021
- Impairment of Synaptic Plasticity by Cannabis, Δ9-THC, and Synthetic Cannabinoids. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine May 3, 2021
- Selective effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on medium spiny neurons in the striatum. PLoS One 2018