Cannabinoid receptor type 1 antagonists alter aspects of risk/reward decision making independent of toluene-mediated effects.

Drugs of abuse including cannabis and inhalants impair risk/reward decision making. Cannabis use is often concurrent with inhalant intoxication; yet, preclinical studies investigating the role of endocannabinoids in inhalant misuse are limited. To address this gap in the literature, we used the well-validated probabilistic discounting task to assess risk/reward decision making in rodents following combinations of toluene vapor (a common inhalant) and manipulations of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) signaling.

Self-Administration of Toluene Vapor in Rats.

Inhalants, including volatile organic solvents such as toluene, continue to be one of the most prevalent, and often first substances abused by adolescents. Like other drugs of abuse, toluene affects the function of neurons within key brain reward circuits including the prefrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area, and nucleus accumbens. However, preclinical models used to study these toluene-induced adaptations generally employ passive exposure paradigms that do not mirror voluntary patterns of solvent exposure observed in humans.

The Abused Inhalant Toluene Impairs Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity and Risk/Reward Decision-Making during a Probabilistic Discounting Task.

Inhalant (e.g., toluene) misuse is linked to behavioral and cognitive deficits in humans, yet preclinical studies of the effect of inhalants on higher-order cognition are limited.