Acute and chronic cannabis vapor exposure influences basal and stress-induced release of glucocorticoids in male and female rats.

Management of stress and anxiety is often listed as the primary motivation behind cannabis use. Human research has found that chronic cannabis use is associated with increased basal cortisol levels but blunted neuroendocrine responses to stress. Preclinical research has demonstrated mixed effects of Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; the psychoactive constituent of cannabis), much of which is suggestive of dose-dependent effects; however, the predominance of this work has employed an injection method to deliver cannabis.

Phytocannabinoids restore seizure-induced alterations in emotional behaviour in male rats.

Epilepsy often presents with severe emotional comorbidities including anxiety and abnormal fear responses which impose a significant burden on, and reduce, quality of life in people living with the disease. Our lab has recently shown that kindled seizures lead to changes in emotional processing resulting from the downregulation of anandamide signalling within the amygdala. Phytocannabinoids derived from the Cannabis sativa plant have attracted a lot of interest as a new class of drugs with potential anticonvulsant effects.

THC Vapor Inhalation Attenuates Hyperalgesia in Rats Using a Chronic Inflammatory Pain Model.

Humans use cannabinoid drugs to alleviate pain. As cannabis and cannabinoids are legalized in the United States for medicinal and recreational use, it has become critical to determine the potential utilities and harms of cannabinoid drugs in individuals living with chronic pain. Here, we tested the effects of repeated ∆-tetrahydrocannabinol vapor inhalation on thermal nociception and mechanical sensitivity, in adult male and female Wistar rats using a chronic inflammatory pain model (ie, treated with complete Freund's adjuvant [CFA]).

Pharmacokinetics and central accumulation of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its bioactive metabolites are influenced by route of administration and sex in rats.

Up to a third of North Americans report using cannabis in the prior month, most commonly through inhalation. Animal models that reflect human consumption are critical to study the impact of cannabis on brain and behaviour. Most animal studies to date utilize injection of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; primary psychoactive component of cannabis).

Comparison of the Time-Dependent Changes in Immediate Early Gene Labeling and Spine Density Following Abstinence From Contingent or Non-contingent Chocolate Pellet Delivery.

: Incubation of craving is a phenomenon whereby responding for cues associated with a reward increases over extended periods of abstinence. Both contingent and non-contingent behavioral designs have been used to study the incubation of craving phenomenon with differing results. The present study directly compares behavioral and neural changes following contingent or non-contingent administration of chocolate flavored pellets.