Effect of cannabinoids on the turnover rate of acetylcholine in rat hippocampus, striatum and cortex

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Abstract
The effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, (Δ9THC) the major psychoactive compound of marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component, on the acetylcholine (ACh) concentration and the turnover rate of ACh (TRACh) have been studied in various regions of the rat brain. Neither Δ9THC doses from 0.2 to 10 mg/kg nor CBD (10 or 20 mg/kg) alter the ACh concentration in the brain areas examined 30 min, after the intravenous injection. However, Δ9-THC (doses from 0.2 to 10 mg/kg) causes a marked dose-related decrease in the TRACh in hippocampus whereas CBD is without effect in this brain region even when 20 mg/kg is given. Furthermore, high doses of Δ9-THC (5 mg/kg) and CBD (20 mg/kg) that produce a significant decrease in the TRACh of striatum fail to change the TRACh in parietal cortex. The low doses of Δ9-THC required to reduce hippocampal TRACh suggest that an action on these cholinergic mechanisms may play a role in the psychotomimetic activity of Δ9-THC.