Examination of the possibility of cannabinoid-dependent prunning

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Cannabinoids (CBs) first received much interest as its unconventional, characteristic action as a retrograde neurotransmitter. CB also draws much attention because it causes LTD of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Once LTD is induced, afferents are often pruned. This raises a possibility that cannabinoid agonist itself causes afferent pruning. We found thalamocortical projection exhibits CB receptor (CBR) -dependent long-term depression, which shows spike timing dependence, thus a form of STDP during development. We also found that thalamocortical projection shows a retraction during the period when STDP-LTD is inducible. We are currently studying if exogenous application of CBagonists induces afferent retraction.