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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/9567
Title: | Impaired learning in adulthood following neonatal Δ9-THC exposure | Contributor(s): | O'Shea, Melanie (author); Mallet, Paul Emile (author) | Publication Date: | 2005 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/9567 | Abstract: | Cannabis is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs during pregnancy, but little is known about the lasting effects of early-life exposure to this drug. In this study, male Wistar rat pups were treated daily with (-)-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 5 mg/kg, s.c.) or its vehicle between postnatal days (PND) 4 and 14. Drug administration during this early postnatal period in rats is analogous to the third trimester of gestation in humans, which is a major period of synaptogenesis. Rats were subsequently tested drug-free during young adulthood (PND 56) using a two-component food-motivated double Y-maze test. Each trial included distinct spatial discrimination and delayed alternation components, which permitted the simultaneous assessment of reference memory and working memory. Rats were tested for 30 trials/day, 5 days/week for 5 weeks. Results revealed no significant differences between THC- and vehicle-treated rats in the spatial discrimination task. However, compared to vehicle-treated rats, THC-treated rats committed significantly more errors, and required significantly longer to obtain 80% correct over two consecutive days in the delayed alternation task. Results suggest that neonatal THC exposure leads to a specific and lasting deficit in learning in adulthood, which is likely due to impaired working memory function. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Behavioural Pharmacology, 16(5&6), p. 455-461 | Publisher: | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins | Place of Publication: | United States of America | ISSN: | 1473-5849 0955-8810 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 170101 Biological Psychology (Neuropsychology, Psychopharmacology, Physiological Psychology) | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 920414 Substance Abuse | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal | Publisher/associated links: | http://journals.lww.com/behaviouralpharm/Abstract/2005/09000/Impaired_learning_in_adulthood_following_neonatal.19.aspx |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
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