Effects of chronic THC in adolescence on rat play behaviours

Background: Cannabis use remains a major public health concern, and its use typically begins in adolescence. Chronic administration of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, during adolescence can produce deficits in adult learning and memory, stress reactivity and anxiety. One possible mechanism behind the disruptions in adulthood from adolescent exposure to THC includes changes in social behaviours, such as social play, which has been shown to be critical to socio-cognitive development. Methods: Here, using an established animal model of adolescent THC exposure in male and female Long–Evans rats, we explored the effects of THC on play behaviour during the chronic administration period. Following puberty onset, as indicated by external changes to the genitalia, THC (5mg/kg) was administered for 14 days. Play behaviour was assessed seven days following the onset of the injection period at approximately 1 hour post treatment. The frequency of nape a...研究背景：大麻使用仍是重大公共卫生关切议题，且其使用通常起始于青少年阶段。青春期长期摄入大麻的主要精神活性成分Δ9-四氢大麻酚（Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC），可导致成年个体出现学习记忆、应激反应及焦虑相关的功能缺陷。青少年时期接触THC引发成年期功能紊乱的潜在机制之一，包括社交行为改变——例如社交玩耍行为，而该行为已被证实对社会认知发育具有关键作用。 研究方法：本研究采用已成熟的青春期THC暴露动物模型，以雌雄Long–Evans大鼠（Long–Evans rats）为实验对象，探究慢性给药期间THC对其玩耍行为的影响。以大鼠外生殖器的形态变化作为青春期启动的判定标志，在青春期启动后，以5mg/kg的剂量连续14天给药THC。于给药开始后的第7天，在给药后约1小时对大鼠的玩耍行为进行评估。对颈背（nape a...）相关行为的频次