Zona Luke C, Fry Benjamin R, LaLonde Jacob A, Cromwell Howard C
Department of Psychology, John Paul Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, United States.
Department of Psychology, John Paul Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, United States.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2017 Jul;158:14-21. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.05.008. Epub 2017 May 18.
Previous research has implicated the positive modulation of anandamide, an endocannabinoid neurotransmitter, on feeding behavior. Anandamide is particularly noteworthy as it acts as an endogenous ligand of the CB1 receptor, the same receptor that is activated by tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive component in Cannabis sativa. Cannabis legalization in North America has presented with a need to study endocannabinoid agonists and their effects on behavior. Much has yet to be determined in terms of the role of the endocannabinoid system in decision-making scenarios. The research presented here tested the hypothesis that anandamide would augment motivation and reward processing via appetitive and consummatory measures during an operant, foraging task. A three-box design was used in order to provide the animals with a free choice, exploratory foraging environment. Discrimination, preference, and incentive contrast were analyzed as discrete measures of decision-making in the three-box paradigm. Anandamide administration (1mg/kg) was found to significantly increase motivation for the optimal foraging outcome and alter basic processing of reward information involved in discrimination and relative valuation. The positive effects of anandamide on eating behavior and motivation have implications toward possible treatment modalities for patient populations presenting with disorders of motivation. These findings suggest the need for continued investigation of the endocannabinoid system as a central component of motivated behavior.
先前的研究表明，内源性大麻素神经递质花生四烯乙醇胺对进食行为具有正向调节作用。花生四烯乙醇胺尤其值得关注，因为它是CB1受体的内源性配体，而CB1受体也是大麻中主要的精神活性成分四氢大麻酚所激活的受体。北美大麻合法化使得有必要研究内源性大麻素激动剂及其对行为的影响。关于内源性大麻素系统在决策场景中的作用，仍有许多有待确定之处。本文所呈现的研究检验了这样一个假设：在操作性觅食任务中，花生四烯乙醇胺会通过食欲性和满足性测量增强动机和奖赏处理。采用了三箱设计，以便为动物提供一个自由选择、探索性的觅食环境。在三箱范式中，辨别、偏好和动机性对比被分析为决策的离散测量指标。研究发现，给予花生四烯乙醇胺（1mg/kg）能显著增强对最佳觅食结果的动机，并改变参与辨别和相对估值的奖赏信息的基本处理过程。花生四烯乙醇胺对进食行为和动机的积极影响，对于患有动机障碍的患者群体可能的治疗方式具有启示意义。这些发现表明，有必要继续研究内源性大麻素系统作为动机行为核心成分的作用。
