Project 5

Cannabinoid and stress interactions in Schizophrenia

There is much current controversy concerning the relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia. We are examining this relationship in both people and animal models, using the endophenotype of schizophrenia known as reductions in prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI). Conflicting reports of the effects of cannabinoid agonists on prepulse inhibition exist, some claiming that cannabinoids increase PPI and some claiming that they decrease PPI (Kedzior and Martin-Iverson 2005; Schneider and Koch 2002; Stanley-Cary et al. 2002). We have evidence that the effects of cannabinoids on PPI depends on the level of activation of glucocorticoid hormone receptors in rats. That is, the effects of cannabis on schizophrenia may alter with stress levels. This honours project will explore this relationship between stress hormone receptors and cannabinoid receptors further in a rodent model of Schizophrenia