Chronic URB597 treatment at adulthood reverted most depressive-like symptoms induced by adolescent exposure to THC in female rats.

We have recently shown that chronic THC administration in adolescent female rats induces subtle but lasting alterations in the emotional circuit ending in depressive-like behaviour at adulthood. Here we describe other relevant depressive-like symptoms present in these animals. Adult female rats pretreated with THC display passive coping strategy towards acute stressful situations as demonstrated by their behaviours in the first session of the forced swim test, develop a profound anhedonic state as demonstrated by the reduced consumption of palatable food and present a decrease in social functioning. Besides the emotional symptoms, adolescent exposure to THC induced a significant deficit in object recognition memory. Since it has been reported that deficits in adult hippocampal neurogenesis may underlie the cognitive dysfunction seen in depression, we then survey cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Adolescent THC exposure significantly reduced the number of BrdU-positive cells in THC-treated rats as well as hippocampal volume. We suggest that this complex depressive-like phenotype is triggered by a long-lasting decrease in CB1 receptor functionality in specific brain regions. To test whether an increase in the endocannabinoid signalling could ameliorate the depressive phenotype, adult female rats pre-exposed to THC were injected with URB597 (0.3mg/kg ip) and then tested in behavioural assays. URB597 was able to reverse most depressive-like symptoms induced by adolescent THC exposure such as the passive coping strategy observed in THC exposed animals in the forced swim test as well as anhedonia and the reduced social activity. These results support a role for the endocannabinoid system in the neurobiology of depression and suggest the use of URB597 as a new therapeutic tool with antidepressant properties.

Cellular mechanisms underlying the interaction between cannabinoid and opioid system.

Recently, the presence of functional interaction between the opioid and cannabinoid system has been shown in various pharmacological responses. Although there is an increasing interest for the feasible therapeutic application of a co-administration of cannabinoids and opioids in some disorders (i.e. to manage pain, to modulate immune system and emotions) and the combined use of the two drugs by drug abusers is becoming largely diffuse, only few papers focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this interaction. This review updates the biochemical and molecular underpinnings of opioid and cannabinoid interaction, both within the central nervous system and periphery. The most convincing theory for the explanation of this reciprocal interaction involves (i) the release of opioid peptides by cannabinoids or endocannabinoids by opioids, (ii) the existence of a direct receptor-receptor interaction when the receptors are co-expressed in the same cells, and (iii) the interaction of their intracellular pathways. Finally, the cannabinoid/opioid interaction might be different in the brain rewarding networks and in those accounting for other pharmacological effects (antinociception, modulation of emotionality and cognitive behavior), as well as between the central nervous system and periphery. Further insights about the cannabinoid/opioid interaction could pave the way for new and promising therapeutic approaches.

The depressive phenotype induced in adult female rats by adolescent exposure to THC is associated with cognitive impairment and altered neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex.

We recently demonstrated that Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) chronic administration in female adolescent rats induces alterations in the emotional circuit ending in depressive-like behavior in adulthood. Since cognitive dysfunction is a major component of depression, we assessed in these animals at adulthood different forms of memory. Adolescent female rats were treated with THC or its vehicle from 35 to 45 post-natal days (PND) and left undisturbed until their adulthood (75 PND) when aversive and spatial memory was assessed using the passive avoidance and radial maze tasks. No alteration was found in aversive memory, but in the radial maze THC pre-treated animals exhibited a worse performance than vehicles, suggesting a deficit in spatial working memory. To correlate memory impairment to altered neuroplasticity, level of marker proteins was investigated in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, the most relevant areas for learning and memory. A significant decrease in synaptophysin and PSD95 proteins was found in the prefrontal cortex of THC pre-treated rats, with no alterations in the hippocampus. Finally, proteomic analysis of the synapses in the prefrontal cortex revealed the presence of less active synapses characterized by reduced ability in maintaining normal synaptic efficiency. This picture demonstrates the presence of cognitive impairment in THC-induced depressive phenotype.

Role in anxiety behavior of the endocannabinoid system in the prefrontal cortex.

In the present study we explored with a multidisciplinary approach, the role of anandamide (AEA) in the modulation of anxiety behavior at the level of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Low doses of the metabolically stable AEA analog, methanandamide, microinjected into the PFC, produced an anxiolytic-like response in rats, whereas higher doses induced anxiety-like behaviors. Pretreatment with the selective antagonist of CB1 or TRPV1 receptors (AM251 and capsazepine, respectively) suggested that the anxiolytic effect evoked by AEA might be due to the interaction with the CB1 cannabinoid receptor, whereas vanilloid receptors seem to be involved in AEA anxiogenic action. When AEA contents in the PFC were increased by microinjecting the selective inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), URB597, we observed an anxiolytic response only at low doses of the compound and no effect or even an anxiogenic profile at higher doses. In line with this, a marked decrease of AEA levels in the PFC, achieved by lentivirus-mediated local overexpression of FAAH, produced an anxiogenic response. These findings support an anxiolytic role for physiological increases in AEA in the PFC, whereas more marked increases or decreases of this endocannabinoid might lead to an anxiogenic response due to TRPV1 stimulation or the lack of CB1 activation, respectively.

CB1 receptor stimulation in specific brain areas differently modulate anxiety-related behaviour.

There is a general consensus that the effects of cannabinoid agonists on anxiety seem to be biphasic, with low doses being anxiolytic and high doses ineffective or possibly anxiogenic. Besides the behavioural effects of cannabinoids on anxiety, very few papers have dealt with the neuroanatomical sites of these effects. We investigated the effect on rat anxiety behavior of local administration of THC in the prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala and ventral hippocampus, brain regions belonging to the emotional circuit and containing high levels of CB1 receptors. THC microinjected at low doses in the prefrontal cortex (10 microg) and ventral hippocampus (5 microg) induced in rats an anxiolytic-like response tested in the elevated plus-maze, whilst higher doses lost the anxiolytic effect and even seemed to switch into an anxiogenic profile. Low THC doses (1 microg) in the basolateral amygdala produced an anxiogenic-like response whereas higher doses were ineffective. All these effects were CB1-dependent and closely linked to modulation of CREB activation. Specifically, THC anxiolytic activity in the prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus was paralleled by an increase in CREB activation, whilst THC anxiogenic response in the basolateral amygdala was paralleled by a decrease in CREB activation. Our results suggest that while a mild activation of CB1 receptors in the prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus attenuates anxiety, a slight CB1 receptor stimulation in the amygdala results in an anxiogenic-like response. The molecular underpinnings of these effects involve a direct stimulation of CB1 receptors ending in pCREB modulation and/or a possible alteration in the fine tuning of local neuromodulator release.