Date of Award
Spring 2024
Rights
Access is available to all users
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS) in Biology
Department
Biology
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oxytocin (OXT) has been used as a post-treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research suggests that pre-treatment of intranasal OXT attenuates signs of fear in rats; however, the impact of intraperitoneal (i.p) OXT pre-treatment on signs of fear in rats is unknown. We also explored the effects of delta-9 (psychoactive component of cannabidiol) and delta-8 (delta-9 isomer) THC pre-treatment on attenuating signs of fear in the rat. METHODS: For each experiment, male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups, (n=8 per group); 1.) controls (vehicle and no foot shock), 2.) shock (vehicle and foot shock), 3.) low dose (OXT or THC), 4.) medium dose (OXT or THC), and 5.) high dose (OXT or THC). Rats were treated with OXT and THC (or vehicle) 30 min prior to fear conditioning. Day 1, rats are put into a fear-conditioning chamber which delivered five foot shocks at an intensity of 0.6 mA to the metal grate floor. Day 2, the rats were re-exposed to chamber for 5 minutes, not shocked, and freezing time was recorded via a motion detector. Day 3, rats were re-exposed to chamber for 5 min and shocked again with the same parameters. Day 4, rats were re-exposed to the chamber for 5 min, not shocked, and freezing time was recorded. RESULTS: After the first treatment/shock and freezing assessment (day 2), OXT did not significantly decrease freezing at any specific dose. Interestingly, with the second treatment/shock and freezing assessment (day 4), the high dose of OXT (1.0mg/kg) significantly attenuated freezing, relative to vehicle-treated shocked group. Preliminary data suggest that the low dose of delta-9 THC (0.5 mg/kg) showed a significant decrease in freezing compared to delta-8 THC. CONCLUTION: These data suggest that OXT and THC prophylactically mitigate symptoms of PTSD
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Recommended Citation
Alvarez, Jair E. Jr., "Impact of Oxytocin and Tetrahydrocannabinol on signs of fear in the rat" (2024). EWU Masters Thesis Collection. 919.
https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/919
