Effects of Cannabinoids on Rat Development and Emission of Ultrasonic Vocalizations

In young rodents, ultrasonic signals have been proposed as a reproducible bioassay in developmental pharmacology and toxicology. They represent a useful test either for assessment of the emotionality of infant rats or in detecting early subtle but functionally significant changes produced by the administration of neurotoxic chemicals. In this regard, we and other research groups have demonstrated that cannabinoid exposure during critical developmental periods affects the emission of ultrasonic vocalizations through the modulation of the endocannabinoid system, which is active and functional from the earliest stages of development until early and late postnatal life. Thus, early exposure to Cannabis could interfere with the sequence of events occurring during the development and ontogeny of the central nervous system, possibly leading to the onset of neurodevelopmental alterations and to an increased vulnerability for psychopathologies later in life.