Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior
-
Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. · Jul 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyCannabis with high δ9-THC contents affects perception and visual selective attention acutely: an event-related potential study.
Cannabis intake has been reported to affect cognitive functions such as selective attention. This study addressed the effects of exposure to cannabis with up to 69.4mg Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) recorded during a visual selective attention task. ⋯ Performance requiring attentional resources, such as vehicle control, may be compromised several hours after smoking cannabis cigarettes containing high doses of THC, as presently available in Europe and Northern America.
-
Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. · Jul 2010
Comparative StudyPotentiation of morphine antiallodynic efficacy by ACPT-III, a group III metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist, in rat spinal nerve ligation-induced neuropathic pain.
Despite the importance of spinal metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and opioid receptors in nociceptive processing, the roles of these receptors in the modulation of neuropathic pain at the spinal level have not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of spinal mGluR agents and opioids (morphine) on neuropathic pain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent L5 and L6 spinal nerve ligation to induce neuropathic pain and intrathecal catheterization for drug administration. ⋯ Whereas ACPT-III, a Group III mGluR agonist, enhanced the antiallodynic action of morphine, other mGluR agents did not. Collectively, mGluRs may not directly modulate the processing of spinal nerve ligation-induced neuropathic pain at the spinal level. However, Group III mGluR agonists in the spinal cord may indirectly contribute to the potentiation of morphine antiallodynia, indicating that these agonists might be used as adjuvants for spinal morphine.