Neuroscience 2003 Abstract
| Presentation Number: | 110.15 |
|---|---|
| Abstract Title: | THC-induced deficits in a rodent attentional set-shifting task; correlation with alterations in regional neural activation. |
| Authors: |
Egerton, A.*1
; Pratt, J. A.1
; Brett, R.1
1Physiology and Pharmacol., Univ. of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| Primary Theme and Topics |
Neurological and Psychiatric Conditions - Addiction and Drugs of Abuse -- Opioids and others |
| Secondary Theme and Topics | Cognition and Behavior<br />- Animal Cognition and Behavior<br />-- Attention |
| Session: |
110. Addiction and Drugs of Abuse: Opioids & Others II Poster |
| Presentation Time: | Saturday, November 8, 2003 3:00 PM-4:00 PM |
| Location: | Morial Convention Center - Hall F-I, Board # VV29 |
| Keywords: | CANNABINOIDS, IMMEDIATE EARLY GENE, PREFRONTAL CORTEX, STRIATUM |
Cannabis use has been associated with deficits in prefrontal-dependent cognitive processes in humans. We therefore sought to investigate whether THC administration would produce attentional set-shifting deficits in the rat, using a task (Birrell, J.M. and Brown, V.J. J. Neurosci. 2000, 20, 4320-4324) that enables assessment of comparable cognitive processes. In addition, in situ hybridisation was employed to investigate coincident alterations in the expression of neural activation markers in order to elucidate the neural substrates that may underlie the observed behavioural deficits. 30 minutes prior to behavioural testing, male hooded Long-Evans rats were administered vehicle, 0.01 or 1.0 mg/kg THC i.p. Administration of the higher dose of 1.0 mg/kg THC induced deficits in reversal learning (p < 0.05 at all 3 reversal stages), and the ability to shift attention within a perceptual dimension (intradimensional shift, IDS) (p < 0.05). Analysis of IEG mRNA expression showed that whilst THC–induced deficits in reversal learning were correlated with increased mRNA expression in the caudate putamen (r = 0.48 to 0.36; p = 0.01 to 0.04), deficits in IDS performance were correlated with decreased IEG expression in the prelimbic (r = -0.44; p = 0.01) infralimbic (r = -0.39; p = 0.02), primary cingulate (r = -0.42; p = 0.01) and ventral orbital (r = -0.40; p = 0.02) cortices. These results suggest that acute THC administration produces deficits in ability to effectively focus attention to relevant environmental stimuli and decreases affective cognitive flexibility. These deficits may be mediated by THC-induced alterations in underlying prefrontal and striatal circuitry respectively.
Supported by British Pharmacological Society
Sample Citation:
[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2003 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. New Orleans, LA: Society for Neuroscience, 2003. Online.
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