Long-term consequences of a single treatment of mice with an ultra-low dose of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Haitham Amal, Lilach Fridman-Rozevich, Roey Senn, Anastasia Strelnikov, Mikhal Gafni, Ora Keren, Yosef Sarne
Behavioural Brain Research January 20, 2010 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.09.021 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | ICR mice |
| Intervention | Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) |
| Dose | 0.002 mg/kg |
| Duration | At least 5 months |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | A single extremely low dose of THC (0.002 mg/kg) in ICR mice induced cognitive deficits lasting at least 5 months, detected across tests of spatial navigation and spatial and non-spatial recognition. The authors suggest these deficits may stem from a common upstream process such as attention or motivation. The same dose also produced sustained ERK1/2 activation in the cerebellum. |
Abstract
A single administration of an extremely low dose (0.002 mg/kg) of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana) to ICR mice induced long-term cognitive deficits that lasted for at least 5 months. The behavioral deficits were detected by several tests that evaluated different aspects of memory and learning, including spatial navigation and spatial and non-spatial recognition. Our findings point to possible deficits in attention or motivation that represent a common upstream cognitive process that may affect the performance of the mice in the different behavioral assays. Similar ultra-low doses of THC (3-4 orders of magnitude lower than doses that are known to evoke the acute effects of THC) also induced sustained activation of extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in the cerebellum, indicating that a single injection of such low doses of the cannabinoid drug can stimulate neuronal regulatory mechanisms. The relevance of these findings to the behavioral consequences of chronic exposure to marijuana is discussed.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Adolescent THC impacts on mPFC dopamine-mediated cognitive processes in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology February 1, 2025
- Biphasic effects of THC in memory and cognition. European journal of clinical investigation May 2018
- Long-term behavioral and biochemical effects of an ultra-low dose of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): neuroprotection and ERK signaling. Experimental Brain Research September 2012
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