Cannabinoid agonist, CP 55,940, facilitates intake of palatable foods when injected into the hindbrain

Cannabinoids have been shown to influence food intake, and until recently, the neural pathways mediating these effects have remained obscure. It has been previously shown that intracerebroventricular injection of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) causes increased consumption of palatable foods in rats, and we postulated the involvement of the hindbrain in this cannabinoid-induced food intake. Cannulated rats (both female and male groups) trained to consume sweetened condensed milk received either lateral or fourth ventricle injections of CP 55,940 and were presented with sweetened condensed milk 15 min after injection. Rats were injected over a range of doses between 100 pg and 10 mug per rat. Milk intake was recorded for a total of 3 h. Lateral ventricle injection of CP 55,940 increased milk intake at doses in the microgram range. However, CP 55,940 was effective in increasing food intake at nanogram doses when injected into the fourth ventricle. Finally, male rats appeared to be more sensitive to CP 55,940 than female rats inasmuch as milk consumption was increased at the 1 ng dose in male rats, whereas only the 10 ng dose was effective in females. These results indicate that CP 5 5,940 may act in the hindbrain to influence feeding behavior in rats. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.