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Cannabidiol effects in the prepulse inhibition disruption induced by amphetamine

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Abstract

Rationale

The information processing appears to be deficient in schizophrenia. Prepulse inhibition (PPI), which measures the inhibition of a motor response by a weak sensory event, is considered particularly useful to understand the biology of information processing in schizophrenia patients. Drugs that facilitate dopaminergic neurotransmission such as amphetamine induce PPI disruption in human and rodents. Clinical and neurobiological findings suggest that the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoids may be implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, has also been reported to have potential as an antipsychotic.

Objective

Our aim was to investigate if CBD pretreatment was able to prevent PPI disruption induced by amphetamine. Since one possible mechanism of CBD action is the facilitation of endocannabinoid-mediated neurotransmission through anandamide, we tested the effects of an anandamide hydrolysis inhibitor (URB597) in the amphetamine-induced PPI disruption.

Methods

Male Swiss mice were treated with CBD systemic or intra-accumbens, or URB597 (systemic) prior to amphetamine and were exposed to PPI test.

Results

Amphetamine (10 mg/kg) disrupted PPI while CBD (15–60 mg/kg) or URB597 (0.1–1 mg/kg) administered alone had no effect. Pretreatment with CBD attenuated the amphetamine-disruptive effects on PPI test after systemic or intra-accumbens administration. Similar effects were also found with the inhibitor of anandamide hydrolysis.

Conclusion

These results corroborate findings indicating that CBD induces antipsychotic-like effects. In addition, they pointed to the nucleus accumbens as a possible site of these effects. The increase of anandamide availability may be enrolled in the CBD effects.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Célia Aparecida da Silva for the technical support. The equipment and drugs used in this work were acquired from FAPESP, CNPq, CAPES, Brazil. The experiments presented in this manuscript comply with the current Brazilian laws.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Morfologia, Estomatologia e Patologia Básica, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-904, Brasil

    J. F. C. Pedrazzi, A. C. Issy & E. A. Del-Bel

  2. Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil

    F. V. Gomes, F. S. Guimarães & E. A. Del-Bel

  3. Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil

    J. F. C. Pedrazzi & E. A. Del-Bel

  4. NAPNA, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brasil

    J. F. C. Pedrazzi, A. C. Issy, F. V. Gomes, F. S. Guimarães & E. A. Del-Bel

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  1. J. F. C. Pedrazzi
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  2. A. C. Issy
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  3. F. V. Gomes
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  5. E. A. Del-Bel
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Correspondence to E. A. Del-Bel.

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This work was supported by FAPESP

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Pedrazzi, J.F.C., Issy, A.C., Gomes, F.V. et al. Cannabidiol effects in the prepulse inhibition disruption induced by amphetamine. Psychopharmacology 232, 3057–3065 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-3945-7

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