Effects of ethanol, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, or their combination on object recognition memory and object preference in adolescent and adult male rats.
Nicholas A Swartzwelder, M Louise Risher, Sabri H Abdelwahab, Anouska D'Abo, Amir H Rezvani, Edward D Levin, Wilkie A Wilson, Harry Scott Swartzwelder, Shawn K Acheson
Neuroscience Letters October 3, 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.08.037 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experimental study in animals Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adolescent and adult male rats |
| Interventions | Ethanol THC |
| Dose | 1.5 g/kg ethanol; 1.0 mg/kg THC; 1.5 g/kg EtOH + 1.0 mg/kg THC |
| Duration | NOR performed with a 24-hour delay; drug conditions administered at 72-hour intervals |
| Measures | Novel object recognition (NOR) task |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | After combined ethanol (1.5 g/kg) and THC (1.0 mg/kg), adolescent rats preferred the familiar object while adult rats showed no preference for either object, a pattern the authors characterize as a classic working memory deficit. These effects were not attributable to changes in exploration or activity. The authors argue that this age-drug interaction warrants further study for its possible link to later drug use and abuse. |
Abstract
Recent advances have been made in our understanding of the deleterious effects of both ethanol and THC on adolescent behavior and brain development. However, very little is known about the combined effects of EtOH+THC during adolescence, a time in which these drugs are often used together. The purpose of this experiment was to: (1) determine whether EtOH and/or THC induced greater working memory impairment in adolescent than adult male rats using the novel object recognition (NOR) task and (2) determine whether the EtOH+THC combination would produce a more potent additive effect in adolescents than adults when compared to these drugs alone. NOR was performed with a 24h delay under each of the four drug conditions: vehicle; 1.5g/kg ethanol; 1.0mg/kg THC; and 1.5g/kg EtOH+1.0mg/kg THC, at 72h intervals. The results show that there was an age effect on working memory in NOR after the EtOH+THC challenge. Specifically, adolescent animals showed a preference for the familiar object whereas adults showed no preference for the novel or familiar object, the latter being characteristic of a classic working memory deficit. These effects were not dependent on changes in exploration across session, global activity across drug condition, or total object exploration. These novel findings clearly indicate that further understanding of this age-drug interaction is crucial to elucidating the influence that adolescent EtOH+THC use may have on repeated drug use and abuse later in life.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Chronic adolescent exposure to cannabis in mice leads to sex-biased changes in gene expression networks across brain regions Neuropsychopharmacology August 22, 2022
- Acute and long-term effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on object recognition and anxiety-like activity are age- and strain-dependent in mice. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior December 2017
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