Abstract
The effects of several dose levels of cannabis have been studied by an ethological analysis of encounters between male mice injected with the drug and partners injected with Tween-saline. The duration of immobility was directly related to the logarithm of the dose of cannabis given. The ratio of flight in the treated animals to aggression in those mice with which they were paired showed a progressive increase as the dose of cannabis was raised from 4–50 mg/kg. A straight line relationship was found to exist between the logarithm of flight/aggression and the logarithm of the dose of cannabis administered.
Non-social activity and social investigation were decreased by the administration of cannabis; this was due to the time spent by the treated animals in immobility. Aggression was not significantly altered. Many mice given doses of 25–100 mg cannabis/kg showed an ataxic gait and the Straub tail reaction.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Carlini, E. A., Karniol, I. G., Renault, P. F., Schuster, C. R.: Effects of marihuana in laboratory animals and in man. Brit. J. Pharmacol. 50, 299–309 (1974)
Chance, M. R. A., Silverman, A. P.: The structure of social behaviour and drug action. Ciba Foundation Symposium on Animal Behaviour and Drug Action. Steinberg, de Reuch and Knight, eds. London: Churchill 1964
Christensen, H. O., Freudenthal, R. I., Gidley, J. T., Rosenfeld, R., Boegli, G., Testino, L., Brine, D. R., Pitt, C. G., Wall, M. E.: Activity of δ8- and δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and related compounds in the mouse. Science 172, 165–167 (1971)
Dixon, A. K., Mackintosh, J. H.: Effects of female urine upon the social behaviour of adult male mice. Anim. Behav. 19, 138–140 (1971)
Goodman, L. S., Gilman, A.: The pharmacological basis of therapeutics, p. 20. London: Collier-Macmillan 1966
Grant, E. C., Mackintosh, J. H.: A comparison of the social postures of some common laboratory rodents. Behaviour 21, 246–259 (1963)
Grant, E. C., Mackintosh, J. H.: The effect of olfactory stimuli on the agonistic behaviour of laboratory mice. Z. Tierpsychol. 23, 584–587 (1966)
Grunfeld, Y., Edery, H.: Psychopharmacological activity of the active constituents of hashish and some related cannabinoids. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 14, 200–210 (1969)
Holtzman, D., Lovell, R. A., Jaffe, J. H., Freedman, D. X.: 1-δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol: neurochemical and behavioural effects in the mouse. Science 163, 1464–1467 (1969)
Kilbey, M. M., Fritchie, G. E., McLendon, D. M., Johnson, K. M.: Attack behaviour in mice inhibited by δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Nature (Lond.) 238, 463–465 (1972)
Loewe, S.: Studies on the pharmacology and acute toxicity of compounds with marihuana activity. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 88, 154–161 (1946)
Mackintosh, J. H.: Social behaviour of the laboratory mouse, p. 47. Ph. D. Thesis, University of Birmingham (1966)
Mechoulam, R. (ed.): Marijuana. Chemistry, pharmacology, metabolism and clinical effects. London: Academic Press 1973
Santos, M., Sampaio, M. R. P., Fernandes, N. S., Carlini, E. A.: Effects of Cannabis sativa (marihuana) on the fighting behaviour of mice. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 8, 437–444 (1966)
Siegel, R. K., Poole, J.: Psychedelic-induced social behaviour in mice: a preliminary report. Psychol. Rep. 25, 704–706 (1969)
Silverman, A. P.: Ethological and statistical analysis of drug effects on the social behaviour of laboratory rats. Brit. J. Pharmacol. 24, 579–590 (1965)
Ten Ham, M., Noordwijk, J. van: Lack of tolerance to the effects of two tetrahydrocannabinols on aggressiveness. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 29, 171–176 (1973)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cutler, M.G., Mackintosh, J.H. & Chance, M.R.A. Effects of cannabis resin on social behaviour in the laboratory mouse. Psychopharmacologia 41, 271–276 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428936
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428936