Long-term effects of THC exposure on reward learning and motivated behavior in adolescent and adult male rats.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

The endocannabinoid system makes critical contributions to reward processing, motivation, and behavioral control. Repeated exposure to THC or other cannabinoid drugs can cause persistent adaptions in the endocannabinoid system and associated neural circuitry. It remains unclear how such treatments affect the way rewards are processed and pursued.

Objective and methods

We examined if repeated THC exposure (5 mg/kg/day for 14 days) during adolescence or adulthood led to long-term changes in rats' capacity to flexibly encode and use action-outcome associations for goal-directed decision making. Effects on hedonic feeding and progressive ratio responding were also assessed.

Results

THC exposure had no effect on rats' ability to flexibly select actions following

SUBMITTER: Halbout B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10102061 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature