In adolescent rats, chronic treatment with THC (the main psychoactive component of cannabis) and/or MDMA (ecstasy) caused long-lasting, sex-dependent changes in brain inflammation and serotonin markers. In males, both drugs increased reactive microglia (a sign of neuroinflammation). In females, each drug alone decreased reactive microglia, but the combination brought levels back to normal. MDMA reduced serotonin-transporter fibers in both sexes; THC counteracted this in males but not females. THC also reduced CB1 cannabinoid receptors in females, an effect worsened by adding MDMA. These results show that adolescent exposure to these drugs produces persistent, sex-specific neurochemical and glial alterations.
Adolescent rats given THC (the main psychoactive component of cannabis) and/or MDMA (ecstasy) showed lasting, sex-dependent changes in behavior and brain chemistry. MDMA reduced exploration and increased anxiety-like behavior shortly after treatment. Long-term, THC disrupted object recognition memory in females but not males. MDMA alone weakened prepulse inhibition (a measure of sensorimotor gating) at the loudest sound tested, while combining it with THC caused a similar deficit at a softer sound. In the brain, THC reduced Arc protein in the hippocampus of both sexes but in the frontal cortex only in females.