Cannabis Use Mimics GABA Dysfunction Seen in Schizophrenia: An Animal Study

Exposure to a cannabinoid receptor agonist during early and middle adolescence is associated with aberrant GABA transmission in adult animals, similar to findings in schizophrenia.

Genetic, anatomic, and behavioral research support a key role of impaired γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission in schizophrenia (e.g., Neuropsychopharmacology 2001; 25:1; and Schizophr Bull 2013 Dec 22) and of reduced glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 and GABA levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adult rats exposed to marijuana during adolescence (Neurobiol Dis 2014; 63:35). To expand these findings, researchers conducted electrophysiological experiments in rats that were injected peritoneally with an agonist of the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1). Exposure occurred daily for 5 days at one of four points — early adolescence, mid-adolescence, late adolescence, and adulthood.

When rats were adults, cannabinoid exposure during early and middle…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Cannabis Use Mimics GABA Dysfunction Seen in Schizophrenia: An Animal Study

Topics

Reviewing Author