Highway to hell or magic smoke? The dose-dependence of Δ9-THC in place conditioning paradigms

The prerequisites for responsible cannabis use are at the heart of current inquiries into cannabis decriminalization by policy makers as well as academic and nonacademic stakeholders at a global scale. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the prime psychoactive compound of the cannabis sativa, as well...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2018-09, Vol.25 (9), p.446-454
Hauptverfasser: Kubilius, Rimas A, Kaplick, Paul M, Wotjak, Carsten T
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The prerequisites for responsible cannabis use are at the heart of current inquiries into cannabis decriminalization by policy makers as well as academic and nonacademic stakeholders at a global scale. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the prime psychoactive compound of the cannabis sativa, as well as cannabimimetics that resemble the pharmacological properties and psychological effects of Δ9-THC, lend themselves handsomely to the preclinical scrutiny of reward-related behavior because they carry marked translational value. Although a functional dichotomy of the psychological effects of Δ9-THC (rewarding versus aversive) has been abundantly reported in place conditioning (PC) paradigms, and might be best attributed to a dose-dependence of Δ9-THC, most PC studies with Δ9-THC feature no significant effects at all. Therefore, after decades of rigorous research, it still remains undetermined whether Δ9-THC generally exerts rewarding or aversive effects in rodents. Here, we set out to extrapolate the commonly alleged dose-dependence of the rewarding and aversive effects of Δ9-THC from the existing literature, at the behavioral pharmacological level of analysis. Specifically, our meta-analysis investigated: (i) the alleged bidirectional effects and dose-dependence of Δ9-THC in the PC test; (ii) methodological inconsistencies between PC studies; and (iii) other pharmacological studies on cannabinoids (i.e., dopamine release, anxiety, stress, conditioned taste aversion, catalepsy) to substantiate the validity of PC findings. Our findings suggest that: (i) Δ9-THC dose-dependently generates rewarding (1 mg/kg) and aversive (5 mg/kg) effects in PC; (ii) an inconsistent use of priming injections hampers a clear establishment of the rewarding effects of Δ9-THC in PC tests and might explain the seemingly contradictory plethora of nonsignificant THC studies in the PC test; and (iii) other pharmacological studies on Δ9-THC substantiate the dose-dependent biphasic effects of Δ9-THC in PC. A standardized experimental design would advance evidence-based practice in future PC studies with Δ9-THC and facilitate the pointed establishment of rewarding and aversive effects of the substance.
ISSN:1072-0502
1549-5485
DOI:10.1101/lm.046870.117