Paper Report for: Goonawardena_2010_Learn.Mem_17_502
Reference
Title: Cannabinoid and cholinergic systems interact during performance of a short-term memory task in the rat Goonawardena AV, Robinson L, Hampson RE, Riedel G Ref: Learn Mem, 17:502, 2010 : PubMed
It is now well established that cannabinoid agonists such as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), anandamide, and WIN 55,212-2 (WIN-2) produce potent and specific deficits in working memory (WM)/short-term memory (STM) tasks in rodents. Although mediated through activation of CB1 receptors located in memory-related brain regions such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, these may, in part, be due to a reduction in acetylcholine release (i.e., cholinergic hypofunction). To determine the interaction between cannabinoid and cholinergic systems, we exposed rats treated with WIN-2 or cholinergic drugs to a hippocampal-dependent delayed nonmatch to sample (DNMS) task to study STM, and recorded hippocampal single-unit activity in vivo. WIN-2 induced significant deficits in DNMS performance and reduced the average firing and bursting rates of hippocampal principal cells through a CB1 receptor-mediated mechanism. Rivastigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, reversed these STM deficits and normalized hippocampal discharge rates. Effects were specific to 1 mg/kg WIN-2 as rivastigmine failed to reverse the behavioral and physiological deficits that were observed in the presence of MK-801, an NMDA receptor antagonist. This supports the notion that cannabinoid-modulated cholinergic activity is a mechanism underlying the performance deficits in DNMS. Whether deficits are due to reduced nicotinic or muscarinic receptor activation, or both, awaits further analysis.
        
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Goonawardena AV, Robinson L, Hampson RE, Riedel G (2010) Cannabinoid and cholinergic systems interact during performance of a short-term memory task in the rat Learn Mem17: 502-11
Goonawardena AV, Robinson L, Hampson RE, Riedel G (2010) Learn Mem17: 502-11