Dravet syndrome (DS) is a genetic epileptic encephalopathy usually caused by mutations in the Scn1a gene, which encodes the α1 subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.1. Clinically, patients are affected by multiple types of seizures that begin...

Fear memories can be attenuated by targeting their reconsolidation, which is differentially regulated by medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) subregions. The major non-psychotomimetic component of the Cannabis plant, cannabidiol (CBD), can disrupt fear memor...

The stereoselectivity of a compound plays an essential role in it’s pharmacological activity. δ9 (-) THC is a stereoisomer of THC and is the predominant form present in the cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa. The goal of this study was to determine if brie...

Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, with an estimated 97.5% of Americans age 12 or older having tried the substance at least once in their lifetimes (whitehousedrugpolicy.gov). Additionally, the ontogeny of cannab...

TRPV2 is a nonselective ligand-gated cation channel considered to be a transducer of high threshold sensory stimuli based on reports of its activation by noxious high heat and membrane stretch. However, further elucidation of its channel properties and ...

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) are sporadic parkinsonian disorders with Tau pathology that share many molecular and clinical features. Patients with these disorders experience relentless neurodegeneration and ty...

Cannabis or its psychoactive component delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) is the most commonly abused illicit drug by pregnant women. Despite its wide use, at present, the long-lasting effects on the adult brain of the offspring are still unclear. It ...

Abnormalities in executive function and the ability to successfully monitor and inhibit inappropriate behaviors have been reported in substance abusing individuals. Recent investigations which have utilized neuroimaging and neurocognitive techniques to evaluate frontal systems in heavy cannabis smokers have reported alterations during inhibitory tasks which require frontal processing. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) methods provide a quantitative estimate of white matter integrity, providing new insight at the microstructural level. We applied diffusion tensor imaging techniques (DTI) and a brief neurocognitive battery which included measures of frontal/executive function to examine the relationship between frontal white matter changes and neuropsychological performance in nine heavy cannabis smokers and 9 matched control subjects. DTI data were acquired on a 3.0 Tesla scanner using a diffusion weighted twice-refocused spin echo EPI sequence. Voxels (11cm3) were placed in the midline of the splenium of the ...

No study regarding effects of Δ9-THC and nicotine co-administration on motor functions is known. Therefore, it was interesting to investigate functional consequences of intracerebellar (ICB) microinfusion of nicotine on ICB Δ9-THC-induced ataxia. Cerebellum was selected because of its established role in Δ9-THC-induced ataxia. Using the Rotorod, the effect of direct ICB microinfusion of various doses of nicotine [5, 2.5,1.25ng] on Δ9-THC [20 µg]-induced ataxia was investigated. There was a significant (p<0.05) attenuation by ICB nicotine on Δ9-THC-induced ataxia in a dose-related manner. The highest nicotine dose (5 ng) virtually abolished the Δ9-THC-induced ataxia. ICB pretreatment with nicotine antagonist hexamethonium (1µg) significantly blocked nicotine’s ability to attenuate Δ9-THC-induced ataxia suggesting that a nicotine - Δ9-THC behavioral interaction involved participation of nAChR. To further elucidate specific subtype of nicotinic receptor involved in the attenuation of Δ9-THC-induced ataxia, di...

One of the more valid animal models of abuse potential and addictive liability of drugs is self-administration. Research employing the self-administration paradigm has yielded advancements in our understanding of both general neural reward mechanisms and more specific effects of cocaine, heroin, nicotine, alcohol, and other common drugs of abuse. However, despite the widespread use and abuse of marijuana in the general public for thousands of years, reliable self-administration of the active chemical, Δ-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), has been achieved only recently and only in a single animal species, namely squirrel monkeys. We present the results of two attempts to train Sprague-Dawley rats to self-administer the drug through chronic indwelling jugular catheters. In the first experiment, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine and then tested daily at various doses of THC dissolved in a solution of saline, Tween-80, and ethanol. In the second experiment, rats were trained to lever press for a sucrose...