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。 的 神经生物学机制的神经心理学影响是 仍然知之甚少，有效的战略，以治疗约 每年有100，000人因吸食大麻而接受治疗， 缺乏 新的证据表明，大麻产生的变化，在大脑中 这与长期使用较硬药物后观察到的情况相似， 暗示大麻是可能的入门药物（Tanda等人，1997年和 Rodriguez de Fonseca等人，1997年）。 需要进行更多的研究 进行评估认知/决策能力的损害， 因为这种损伤可能对潜在的 毒品使用量增加 虽然有几项研究已经解决了认知问题， 大麻的影响，解剖分布和潜在机制 这些影响很少受到关注。 因此， 建议的研究是使用神经影像学方法：2-[14 C]脱氧葡萄糖，CB 1 受体和[35 S] GTP γ S放射自显影（啮齿动物），以及功能性 磁共振成像（在人类），以（1）调查 急性和慢性的剂量依赖性、时间依赖性和残留效应 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 直接关系到受损性能的神经生物学底物 认知任务，在经常使用大麻的人类中得到证明。

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.