title: Tolerance to the disruptive effects of Delta(9)-THC on learning in rats.
abstract: Tolerance to the effects of the cannabinoid agonist Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) was characterized in rats responding under a multiple schedule of repeated acquisition and performance. During the acquisition component, subjects acquired a different three-response sequence each session, whereas in the performance component the sequence was the same each session. Responding was maintained under a second-order fixed-ratio 2 (FR2) schedule of food reinforcement. Acute doses of Delta(9)-THC (1-10 mg/kg) decreased rate and accuracy in both components, whereas doses of the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yn-)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide hydrochloride (SR141716A; 0.32 and 1 mg/kg) were ineffective. While 5.6 mg/kg of Delta(9)-THC disrupted responding when administered acutely, tolerance to the rate-decreasing and error-increasing effects of this dose developed in both components after daily administration. When 1 mg/kg of SR141716A was substituted for Delta(9)-THC during chronic administration, this previously ineffective dose selectively increased within-session errors in the acquisition component of the multiple schedule. During the postchronic phase, subjects were generally less sensitive to the disruptive effects of Delta(9)-THC. In summary, these data demonstrated that tolerance to Delta(9)-THC developed across two different behavioral tasks and that learning was generally more sensitive than performance to the effects of SR141716A during chronic treatment with Delta(9)-THC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1901 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70112-1393, USA. mdelat@lsuhs.edu
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Delatte
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Winsauer
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moerschbaecher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003118:Color Perception / Q000187:drug effects; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D000077285:Rimonabant
chemical_list: D006213:Hallucinogens; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D010880:Piperidines; D011720:Pyrazoles; D009271:Naltrexone; D013759:Dronabinol; D000077285:Rimonabant