Adolescents’ use of cannabis, cognitive deficits and frustration response

Cannabis use in adolescence represents a critical public health challenge, given that this stage constitutes a window of vulnerability for the development of the central nervous system. In this study, the effect of oromucosal exposure to THC-enriched Cannabis sativa oil administered during adolescence was evaluated in adult rats. The objective was to evaluate how this intervention alters the behavioral response to frustration, using the Successive Negative Contrast (SNC) paradigm. First, the administration method and dosage schedule were validated using a battery of standardized behavioral tests. It was found that: (1) adult rats treated with cannabis moved significantly more than those treated with vehicle in the Open Field test; (2) they spent less time interacting with the novel object in the Novel Object Recognition test; and (3) they spent less time in the dark in the Dark/Light Room test. Finally, in the CNS test, they exhibited a lower frustration response (measured as less suppression of the instrumental response). These results demonstrated that this treatment promotes cognitive memory deficits, as measured by the NOR, as well as differences in the Open Field test, the Dark/Light Room test, and the CNS test. Thus, it can be established as a novel model for studying the effects of cannabis use in adolescence on frustration behavior.