ETHANOL INDUCES HIGHER BEC IN CB1 CANNABINOID RECEPTOR KNOCKOUT MICE WHILE DECREASING ETHANOL PREFERENCE

Ethanol induces higher BEC in CB1 cannabinoid receptor knockout mice while decreasing ethanol preference.

AIMS Previous studies have shown that CB(1) cannabinoid receptors are involved in the behavioural effects induced by chronic ethanol administration in Wistar rats by using SR 141716, a CB(1) cannabinoid receptor antagonist. These studies have now been extended to investigate the effect of acute and chronic alcoholization on blood ethanol concentration (BEC) and ethanol preference in CB(1) knock...

Ethanol self-administration and ethanol conditioned place preference are reduced in mice lacking cannabinoid CB1 receptors.

Cannabinoids are postulated to play a role in modulating the reinforcing effects of abused drugs, including alcohol. Experiment 1 examined alcohol self-administration in cannabinoid CB1 receptor knockout (KO), heterozygous (HT) and wild type (WT) mice in a two-bottle choice paradigm. Mice were trained in a limited 8 h access/day to 10% (v/v) EtOH (EtOH) versus water. After baseline drinking lev...

Defective adult neurogenesis in CB1 cannabinoid receptor knockout mice.

Pharmacological studies suggest a role for CB1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) in regulating neurogenesis in the adult brain. To investigate this possibility, we measured neurogenesis by intraperitoneal injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), which labels newborn neurons, in wild-type and CB1R-knockout (CB1R-KO) mice. CB1R-KO mice showed reductions in the number of BrdU-labeled cells to approximate...

Ethanol Self-Administration and Conditioned-Place Preference are Altered in Desensitization-resistant Cannabinoid 1 Receptor (CB1) Mutant Mice

Increased ethanol consumption and preference and decreased ethanol sensitivity in female FAAH knockout mice.

Previous studies have shown that mice lacking cannabinoid (CB1) receptor gene consume markedly reduced levels of ethanol. Mice lacking the enzyme fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) are severely impaired in their ability to degrade anandamide (AEA) and therefore represent a unique animal model in which to examine the function of AEA in vivo on ethanol-drinking behavior. In the current study, FAAH(...