Effects of chronic cannabinoid exposure during adolescence on reward preference and mPFC activation in adulthood

Publication date: Available online 5 December 2018Source: Physiology & BehaviorAuthor(s): Eliza Jacobs-Brichford, Kirk F. Manson, Jamie D. RoitmanAbstractCannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs among adolescents, with initial use beginning between the ages of 12 to 17. Although often perceived as a ‘soft drug’, both short- and long-term use have been associated with numerous adverse outcomes, including cognitive impairment, increased risk of substance abuse, and heightened risk of psychosis or schizophrenia in individuals with a predisposition. Further, the severity of these impairments is closely linked to initiation of use, i.e. earlier use increases risk. It has been suggested that adolescent vulnerability to the adverse consequences of cannabis use is due to ongoing brain development occurring during this time. Indeed, the adolescent brain continues to be remodeled well into adolescence and early adulthood, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in reward processing and decision-making and alterations in mPFC development due to adolescent cannabis exposure could impair these functions. To model the effects of cannabis on mPFC function, we administered the synthetic cannabinoid WIN 55, 212–2 (WIN) to male and female rats from postnatal day 30–60. Once animals reached adulthood, we used a Probabilistic Reward (PR) choice task to elicit PFC activity and measure how patterns of activity to task-rela...
Source: Physiology and Behavior - Category: Physiology Source Type: research