Characteristics of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-produced discrimination in rats
Psychopharmacology January 1, 1976 T. U. C. Järbe, J. O. Johansson, B. G. Henriksson 40 citations
Rats learned to distinguish the effects of injected THC from the no-drug state in a T-shaped maze. Discrimination was dose-dependent: animals trained with higher doses of THC learned the task faster than those trained with lower doses. Δ⁸-THC appeared somewhat less potent than Δ⁹-THC. At 10 mg/kg, Δ⁹-THC produced strong state dependency, with rats reaching criterion within the first ten sessions, similar to a group trained with pentobarbital. Higher training doses led to higher ED₅₀ values. Hashish smoke maintained drug-appropriate responding in THC-trained rats. Depleting brain catecholamines or serotonin with AMPT or PCPA did not impair Δ⁹-THC discrimination.