Topic: THC

The emerging therapeutic and recreational use of cannabinoids calls for a better understanding of their brain effects. Using functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging, we studied the dynamics of the alterations of brain activation and functional connectivity (FC) patterns, measured through the neurovascular coupling, in a 60 minutes period following cannabinoid treatment in awake and behaving C57/BL6J mice. We then correlated these changes with important behavioral and molecular readouts, specifically locomotion, analgesia and CB1 receptor (CB1R) activation, measured by CB1R phosphorylation.Results

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