Memory impairment following combined exposure to delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and ethanol in rats.
Roberto Ciccocioppo, Lorena Antonelli, Michela Biondini, Marina Perfumi, Pierluigi Pompei, Maurizio Massi
European Journal of Pharmacology August 9, 2002 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(02)01999-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Alcohol-preferring rats |
| Interventions | delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) SR 141716A |
| Dose | THC 2, 5, or 10 mg/kg; SR 141716A 1 mg/kg |
| Measures | object recognition test |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Ethanol ingested voluntarily by alcohol-preferring rats and intraperitoneal THC acted synergistically to impair object recognition at a 15-minute delay: neither ethanol alone nor 2 or 5 mg/kg THC alone changed performance, but their combination markedly impaired it, while THC alone impaired recognition only at 10 mg/kg. The CB(1) antagonist SR 141716A (1 mg/kg) reversed the 10 mg/kg THC effect, and the synergy was absent at a 1-minute inter-trial interval. |
Abstract
Cannabis derivatives and alcohol are widely co-abused, particularly among adolescents. Since both ethanol and cannabinoids are known to impair learning and memory, the present study investigated in rats the effects of combined exposure to ethanol and delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a memory task, the object recognition test. The results of the present study provide evidence that ethanol, voluntarily ingested in alcohol-preferring rats, and THC, given by intraperitoneal injection, have a synergic action to impair object recognition, when a 15-min interval was adopted between the sample phase and the choice phase of the test. Neither voluntary ethanol ingestion nor 2 or 5 mg/kg of THC were able per se to modify object recognition in these experimental conditions, but when voluntary ethanol ingestion was combined with administration of these doses of THC object recognition was markedly impaired. THC impaired object recognition only at the dose of 10 mg/kg, when its administration was not combined with that of ethanol. The selective cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist SR 141716A (N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1(2, 4-dichloro-phenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole carboxamide.HCl) at the dose of 1 mg/kg reversed the amnesic effect of THC, 10 mg/kg, suggesting that the effect is mediated by this receptor subtype. The synergism of ethanol and THC was not detected when an inter-trial interval of 1 min was adopted. The present findings are in keeping with the notion that Cannabis derivatives impair memory processes and provide evidence for a synergic action of THC and ethanol, thus emphasizing the risks consequent to their co-administration.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- 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
- Chronic THC during adolescence increases the vulnerability to stress-induced relapse to heroin seeking in adult rats. European Neuropsychopharmacology July 2014
- Effects of ethanol, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, or their combination on object recognition memory and object preference in adolescent and adult male rats. Neuroscience Letters October 3, 2012
- Effects of Endocannabinoid System Modulation on Cognitive and Emotional Behavior Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience July 22, 2011
Cites 2
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