Clozapine and SCH 23390 prevent the spatial working memory disruption induced by Δ9-THC administration into the medial prefrontal cortex.
Lívia Carla de Melo Rodrigues, Catarine Lima Conti, Ester Miyuki Nakamura-Palacios
Brain Research March 25, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.069 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled animal experiment (preclinical study) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | SCH 23390 clozapine |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Intracortical pre-treatment with the D1-like antagonist SCH 23390 or the D2-like antagonist clozapine significantly reduced radial maze errors in rats given intracortical Δ9-THC, without locomotor impairment. The authors suggest prefrontal dopamine receptors are involved in Δ9-THC-induced disruption of spatial working memory. |
Abstract
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world. Its use is associated with impairments in cognitive function. We previously reported that Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, impaired spatial working memory in the radial maze task when injected intracortically (IC) into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats. Here, we used this paradigm to evaluate the involvement of prefrontal dopamine receptors in working memory disruption induced by Δ(9)-THC. Intracortical pre-treatment of animals with either the D(1)- or D(2)-like dopamine receptor antagonists SCH 23390 or clozapine, respectively, significantly reduced the number of errors rats made in the radial maze following treatment with Δ(9)-THC also administered intracortically. These results were obtained in the absence of locomotor impairment, as evidenced by the time spent in each arm a rat visited. Our findings suggest that prefrontal dopamine receptors are involved in Δ(9)-THC-induced disruption of spatial working memory. This interaction between the cannabinoid system and dopamine release in the PFC contributes to new directions in research and to treatments for cognitive dysfunctions associated with drug abuse and dependence.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 4
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