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Improved Social Interaction, Recognition And Working Memory With Cannabidiol Treatment In A Prenatal Infection (Poly I:C) Rat Model, Ashleigh L. Osborne, Nadia Solowij, Ilijana Babic, Xu-Feng Huang, Katrina Weston-Green

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are associated with cognitive impairment, including learning, memory and attention deficits. Antipsychotic drugs are limited in their efficacy to improve cognition; therefore, new therapeutic agents are required. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating component of cannabis, has anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antipsychotic-like properties; however, its ability to improve the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia remains unclear. Using a prenatal infection model, we examined the effect of chronic CBD treatment on cognition and social interaction. Time-mated pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (n=16) were administered polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid (poly I:C) (POLY; 4 mg/kg) or saline (CONT) at gestation day 15. Male offspring …