Abstract
The maturation of attentional control during adolescence might influence later functional outcome or predisposition to psychiatric disorders. During adolescence, the cannabinoid system is particularly sensitive to pharmacological challenges, with potential impact on cognitive functions. Here, we used a recently validated five-choice serial reaction time task protocol to test adolescent C57BL/6J mice. We showed that the pharmacological inhibition (by URB597) of the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the major enzyme implicated in anandamide degradation, prevented cognitive disruptions induced by distracting cues in adolescent mice. In particular, these protective effects were indicated by increased accuracy and correct responses and decreased premature responses selectively in the distractor trials. Notably, at the relatively low dose used, we detected no effects in other cognitive, motor, or incentive measures nor long-lasting or rebound effects of FAAH inhibition in cognitive functions. Overall, these data provide initial evidence of selective procognitive effects of FAAH inhibition in measures of attentional control in adolescent mice.
Highlights
Adolescence is a critical period for the brain development, with the transition from childhood to adulthood influencing several aspects of mammalian behavior and especially cognitive functions (Spear, 2000; Schneider, 2013)
We found that the URB597treated group had higher accuracy (F1,20=9.842, p=0.0003) and increased correct responses (F1,20=4.620, p=0.03) compared to the vehicle-treated group, selectively in the distractor trials and only during the first night session performed 20 min after drug injection
The main finding of this study is that acute exposure to 0.5 mg/ kg URB597 in adolescence prevented the detrimental effects of distracting cues in attentional control while having no effects on general measures of cognitive and reward functioning
Summary
Adolescence is a critical period for the brain development, with the transition from childhood to adulthood influencing several aspects of mammalian behavior and especially cognitive functions (Spear, 2000; Schneider, 2013). One of the most critical functions influenced by the maturation of cortical area during adolescence is attentional control. Possibly linked with the drastic rearrangement of several neuronal systems (Spear, 2000; Galve-Roperh et al, 2009), alterations in executive functions, such as attentional control and cognitive liability to distractions during adolescence, have been associated with higher predisposition to psychiatric disorders (Spear, 2000). The cannabinoid system is more susceptible to pharmacological challenges during
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