Programs of Research Report
(1) Kasten, C., Zhang, Y., Boehm II, S. (2019, February) Acute Cannabinoids Produce Robust Anxiety-Like and Locomotor Effects in Mice, but Long-Term Consequences Are Age- and Sex- Dependent. Frontiers. 13.
Analyzes effects of THC, CBD, and THC + CBD
Amount of people who view the use of cannabinoids as "no risk" has since doubled.
440 male and female rats used for this study.
Exposure to the opposite sex was reduced to prevent behavioral changes.
Injections and behavioral tasks occurred in the active dark phase to increase exploration times.
Experiment 1 consisted of THC and CBD dose responses
These were adminstered separately
Experiment 2 sought to find results of THC, CBD, and THC + CBD
Experiment 3 depicts the weight of the mice and their behavior associated with the doses in Experiment 2
CBD does not have anxiety inducing symptoms
THC+CBD resulted in reduced impairment
Age and sex are a factor in considering the effects of cannabinoids.
The main author for this article is Chelsea Kasten. She is at the LSU Health Sciences Center.
Her overall goal seems to be analyzing the effects of certain drugs on behavior.
This article is more "generalizable"
(2) Kasten, C., Zhang, Y., Boehm II, S. (2017, December). Acute and long-term effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on object recognition and anxiety-like activity are age- and strain-dependent in mice. Pharmacology and Biochemistry and Behavior. 163, 9-19.
80 B6 and D2 mice were single housed upon arrival and maintained on a 12:12 light cycle.
Single housing is chosen for the mice to avoid the formation of social hierarchies amongst the mice.
Mice received 6 injections of THC or vehicle.
The injection was delivered intraperitoneally.
There is a novel object recognition test performed by the mice.
This is when a mouse is given two identical objects, and then one familiar object is replaced with an unfamiliar new one.
When a mouse explores the novel object, it shows non-spatial, hippocampal-based memory.
The injection of THC was done a certain time before the NOR to ensure the sedative properties of THC did not interfere with the results.
An elevated plus maze test and an open field activity were also performed.
There was no significant effect of THC on NOR.
Long-term anxiolytic effects in the EPM may be specific to rats and have a shorter duration in mice.
This article is "less generalizable"
(3) Kasten, C., Zhang, Y., Mackie, K., Boehm II, S. (2018, March). Short-Term Genetic Selection for Adolescent Locomotor Sensitivity to Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Behavior Genetics. 48(3), 224-235.
Sixty (1:1 M:F) B6D2F1/J mice were housed with five per cage and a normal 12:12 light cycle.
Phenotyping occured for the mice.
Response to THC was quantified as a mouse's change in activity from baseline.
More negative scores indicate a larger reduction in activity following THC.
Sexes were analyzed separately.
THC was injected.
Sensitivity or resistance to THC for S1-S4 was quantified as the change in behavior between the vehicle and THC day.
The study supports the idea that acute locomotor sensitivity to THC is heritable in adolescent mice.
Because this study was made under the impression that THC has a negative affect on mice, this article has necessary a relationship with article (1).