Adolescent THC impacts on mPFC dopamine-mediated cognitive processes in male and female rats
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) April 15, 2024 Maricela X. Martinez, Vanessa Alizo Vera, Christina M. Ruiz et al. 1 citation preprint
Adolescent exposure to THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, persistently alters dopamine-dependent cognitive functions in a sex-specific manner in rats. Adult rats treated with THC during adolescence showed reduced acquisition of cue-guided reward seeking, but minimal changes in set-shifting or decision-making under uncertainty. When given amphetamine, these rats were more sensitive to its effects on reducing preference for improbable rewards compared to controls. Directly stimulating dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area or their projections to the medial prefrontal cortex did not affect decision-making in control rats, but slightly disrupted choices in THC-exposed rats. These results indicate that adolescent THC exposure has specific, lasting effects on cognition and amphetamine sensitivity that may not involve direct dopamine pathway changes.