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Authors & Affiliations
Jairo Steffan Acosta-Vargas, Natalia De las Heras-Martinez, Lucia Garrido-Matilla1, Maria Roca-Outeiro, Natalia Puig-Martínez, Ana Belen Sanz-Martos, Shishir Baliyan, Marcos Ucha, Alejandro Higuera-Matas
Abstract
Cannabis is a widely used drug during adolescence, a particularly vulnerable neurodevelopmental period, posing concerns about predisposing users to substance (especially, alcohol) use disorders later in life. This study investigates whether adolescent cannabinoid exposure (ACE) in vapour form facilitates the emergence of alcohol use disorder in adulthood. In addition, we also analysed certain behavioural predictors of addiction and how their relationship with specific aspects of alcohol consumption changes after ACE.Male and female rats were exposed to different THC and CBD concentrations (THC alone, THC/CBD 33:1, THC/CBD 1:33) or vehicle on alternate days from postnatal day (PND) 28 to 44 using an in-house designed vapour chamber. We evaluated the effects of this treatments on body temperature and plasma THC and CBD concentrations 30 minutes after exposure. Adult behaviour assessments (PND70-95) included locomotor activity, novelty and saccharine preference, sign/goal-tracking behaviours and anxiety (or disinhibition) in an elevated plus maze. Alcohol self-administration was studied under different conditions, including acquisition, progressive ratio, and punished seeking.THC induced hypothermia in both sexes, but CBD mitigated this effect, even at lower doses. ACE did not alter novelty or sweet solution preferences, sign/goal-tracking behaviours, or anxiety levels and did not impact alcohol self-administration, although sex differences emerged, with females displaying a stronger compulsive-type alcohol seeking. These results suggest that ACE has a limited effect on subsequent alcohol use disorder risk and that females may have a higher predisposition of developing these disorders than males. Funded by Plan Nacional Sobre Drogas 2012I039 and EXP2022/008739 grants.