Adolescent THC impacts on mPFC dopamine-mediated cognitive processes in male and female rats.
Psychopharmacology February 1, 2025 Maricela X Martinez, Vanessa Alizo Vera, Christina M Ruiz et al.
Adolescent THC exposure in rats leads to sex-dependent effects on learning to seek rewards guided by cues, but has minimal impact on cognitive flexibility or decision-making under uncertainty. Adult rats treated with THC during adolescence showed reduced discounting of improbable reward options when given amphetamine, indicating heightened sensitivity to dopamine augmentation. Direct chemogenetic stimulation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area or their projections to the medial prefrontal cortex did not alter decision-making in control rats, but slightly disrupted choices in THC-exposed rats. These findings suggest that adolescent THC exposure produces specific, persistent cognitive changes that may alter responses to amphetamine through mechanisms independent of the VTA-mPFC dopamine pathway.