Spatial signal detection in rats is differentially disrupted by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, scopolamine, and MK-801.
G Presburger, J K Robinson
Behavioural Brain Research February 15, 1999 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(98)00065-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) scopolamine MK-801 |
| Dose | THC 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg i.p.; scopolamine 0.06-0.25 mg/kg i.p.; MK-801 0.06-0.25 mg/kg i.p. |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | THC selectively impaired rats' accuracy in detecting a 100 ms visual stimulus without affecting response bias or response rate, whereas scopolamine and MK-801 altered omission errors and position bias. The authors suggest THC produces a visual attention impairment qualitatively different from that caused by muscarinic or NMDA receptor antagonism. |
Abstract
Cannabinoid receptors have been implicated as having important roles in human cognitive processes, especially memory and attention. While some work has studied the effects of the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), on short-term memory, no work has examined the involvement of these receptors in mediating attention. Therefore, the present study compared the effects of THC on the performance by rats of an operant spatial signal detection task with those of cholinergic muscarinic antagonist scopolamine and glutamatergic NMDA antagonist MK-801, both compounds known to influence attention and other cognitive processes in rats. These experiments were conducted in a two lever operant chamber in which a cue lamp was mounted over each lever. The rats were pretrained to respond rapidly on the corresponding lever following a rapid presentation of the cue lamp above it. The stimulus was presented in a random order of three durations (100, 300 or 1000 ms) to measure detectability of the stimulus under saline, THC (1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg i.p.), scopolamine (0.06-0.25 mg/kg i.p.), or MK-801 (0.06-0.25 mg/kg i.p.). THC significantly and selectively disrupted stimulus detection accuracy at the 100 ms stimulus duration, but did not influence response bias or the rate of responding. Scopolamine and MK-801 both produced alteration in errors of omission and position bias. These data suggest that THC produces an impairment in visual attention and that the nature of this impairment is qualitatively different from that produced by muscarinic-receptor or NMDA-receptor antagonism.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The Effects of Cannabinoids on Executive Functions: Evidence from Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids—A Systematic Review Brain Sciences February 27, 2018
- Cognitive-disruptive effects of the psychotomimetic phencyclidine and attenuation by atypical antipsychotic medications in rats. Psychopharmacology September 2007
- The novel cannabinoid agonist AM 411 produces a biphasic effect on accuracy in a visual target detection task in rats. Behavioural Pharmacology September 2005
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