NEURAL SUBSTRATES AND COGNITIVE EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA

描述：(申请人摘要) 大麻是我们社会中使用最频繁的非法物质。这个 ARE神经心理效应的神经生物学机制 仍然知之甚少，有效的策略来治疗大约 每年因吸食大麻而接受治疗的人有 缺乏。新证据表明，大麻会引起大脑的变化 这与长期使用更难的药物后观察到的情况类似， 暗示大麻是一种可能的入门药物(Tanda等人，1997年和 Rodriguez de Fonseca等人，1997年)。更多的研究需要 进行以评估认知/决策能力的损害， 因为这种损害可能特别突出于潜在的 吸毒升级。尽管有几项研究已经解决了认知 大麻的作用、解剖分布及其机制 这些影响几乎没有得到关注。因此，该计划的目标是 建议的研究是使用神经成像方法：2-[14C]脱氧葡萄糖，CB1 受体和[35S]GTPyS放射自显影(在啮齿动物中)，以及功能 磁共振成像(在人类中)，以(1)研究 急性和慢性的剂量依赖、时间依赖和残留效应 大麻对大鼠大脑活动的影响 以前与认知障碍有关，并(2)确定 与运动能力减退直接相关的神经生物学底物 认知任务，在经常吸食大麻的人身上表现出来。

DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Abstract) Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit substance in our society. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the neuropsychological effects of are still poorly understood, and effective strategies to treat the approximately lOO,OOO individuals admitted to treatment every year for marijuana use are lacking. New evidence suggests that marijuana produces changes in the brain that are similar to those observed following chronic use of harder drugs, implicating marijuana as a possible gateway drug (Tanda et al., 1997 and Rodriguez de Fonseca et al., 1997). Additional research needs to be conducted to assess the impairment of cognitive/decision making abilities, as such impairments may be particularly salient to the potential for escalated drug use. Although several studies have addressed the cognitive effects of marijuana, the anatomical distribution and underlying mechanisms of these effects have received little attention. Therefore, the aims of the proposed study are to use neuroimaging methods: 2-[14C]deoxyglucose, CB1 receptor, and [35S]GTPyS autoradiography (in rodents), as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging (in humans), to (1) investigate the dose-dependent, time-dependent, and residual effects of acute and chronic marijuana on brain activity in the rat using treatment regimens that have previously been associated with cognitive impairment, and to (2) determine the neurobiological substrates directly related to impaired performance of cognitive tasks, demonstrated in humans who frequently use marijuana.