Abstract

Desalu A.B.O., *Owolabi J.O., Adeyemo F.O., Olanrewaju A.J. and Olatunji S.Y.

ABSTRACT

Cannabis is a recreational drug often abused, especially by young people. It is however, classified illegal in many countries of the world. It is worth paying attention to cannabis use among young people because several behavioural and emotional aberrations have been associated with cannabis use. Such effects also vary with dosage, frequency of use and the longevity of the period of use. The current investigation considered the effects of cannabis ingestion on the lateral geniculate body and the superior colliculs in experimental animals- adult Wistar rats. These structures are vital components of the visual pathway; understanding the effects of cannabis ingestion on them might help to understand the possible effects of this psychoactive substance on vision and its pathway especially at its various levels. Twenty-four (24) adolescent Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of six rats each labelled A, B, C, and D. Group A animals served as the standard control; Group B animals were adminstered the low dose of cannabis [150mg/kg body weight] Group C were administered the medium dose of cannabis [250mg/kg body weight] while Group D were administered the high cannabis dose [500mg/kg body weight]. All animals were fed ad libitum on standard rat pellets throughout the duration of treatment that lasted 21 days. At the end treatment, the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the brain tissue specimens were excised, fixed in formal saline and processed using the Haematoxylin & Eosin and the Luxol Fast Blue techniques. Cannabis produced observable effects on Superior Colliculus and the Lateral Geniculate Body as reported in this study. The effects were specificically on neuronal morphology, spatial distribution of neurons and glia and neuropil integrity.