Chronic cannabinoid administration to periadolescent rats modulates the metabolic response to acute cocaine in the adult brain

摘要

Purpose: To analyze brain metabolic response to acute cocaine in male and female Wistar ratswith or without a history of cannabinoid exposure during periadolescence.Procedures: The synthetic cannabinoid agonist CP 55,940 (CP) or its vehicle (VH), wereadministered to male and female rats during periadolescence. When these animals reachedadulthood, saline and cocaine-induced changes in 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro D glucose (FDG)uptake were studied by positron emission tomography.Results: The baseline (post-saline) metabolism in the septal nuclei was higher in CP-femalesthan in VH-females, although septal metabolism was lower in CP-females after cocaine,reaching similar values to those of VH-females at baseline. Cocaine did not affect metabolism inVH-females. Periadolescent cannabinoid treatment did not influence baseline metabolism inmales although cocaine reduced the FDG uptake in the dorsal striatum of males that receivedthe VH but not CP.Conclusions: These results suggest that cannabinoids during periadolescence modify baselineand cocaine-evoked brain metabolism in a sex-dependent manner. In the case of CP-females,the involvement of septal metabolic alterations in their susceptibility to the rewarding effects ofcocaine should be further investigated.