The surprising effects of cannabis on morphine dependence

Injections of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, the elimination of dependence on opiates (morphine, heroin) in rats without their mother at birth. This was confirmed by a study by Valerie Daug and his team, the Laboratory of Pathophysiology of central nervous system (France) in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. The results could mean that therapeutic alternatives to existing treatment.

In the study of psychiatric illnesses, neurobiologist use of animal models, including maternal deprivation models. Rats from their mothers for several hours on the day of birth led to a lack of care and early stress. The lack of care during a period of intense neuronal development is cause lasting brain dysfunction. Valérie Daug team of the Laboratory of Pathophysiology of central nervous system (UPMC / CNRS / Inserm), analyzes the effects of maternal deprivation, with injections of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main active ingredient of cannabis, over the conduct in this For opiates.

Previously, Daug and his colleagues showed that rats without their mother at birth, are hypersensitive to the rewarding effect of morphine and heroin (the substances belonging to the family of opiates), and dependence are. In addition, there is a correlation between these behavioral disorders related to addiction and hypoactivity of the enkephalinergic system, the endogenous opioid system.

For rats, the stress of birth, researchers increasingly intermittent administration of high doses of THC (5 or 10 mg / kg) for the period of their youth (between 35 and 48 days after birth). By measuring the consumption of morphine in adulthood, she observes that, contrary to previous results, rats are more typical behavior of morphine. In addition, biochemical and molecular biological confirm these results. In the striatum, a region of the brain in drug addiction, the production of body enkephalin was THC, whereas that in rats subjected to birth, which is not THC.

These are validated animal models for understanding the impact of neuro-biological behavior and post-natal conditions in humans. In this context, the results on the development of new therapies, to facilitate the withdrawal and the incidence of addiction.

For more information: adolescent exposure to chronic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol block opiates in maternally deprived Rats - Lydia J. Morel, Bruno Giros, and Valérie Daug. Neuropsychopharmacology 24 June 2009, PMID: 19553915th