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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neuropharmacology. 2018 Nov 26;146:154–162. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.11.036

Figure 2. The Effect of Maternal Separation Stress on the Developmental Trajectory of the Endocannabinoid Contents in the Amygdala.

Figure 2.

Tissue content of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA; upper panel) was found to elevate in the amygdala in an age-dependent manner, with AEA content being higher at PND 12 and 14, relative to PND2, while AEA content at P40 and P70 was higher than at the earlier time points. Exposure to 3 hours of maternal separation (MS) stress per day from PND 2-11 resulted in significant reductions in AEA content in the amygdala both at PND 12 and PND 14, relative to control (CON) animals. These effects had normalized by PND40 and 70. 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG; lower panel), the other primary endocannabinoid molecule, exhibited a different developmental trajectory where it was found to be significantly higher at PND 12 and 14 relative to both PND 2 as well as PND 40 and 70. Similar to AEA, but in the opposite direction, exposure to MS stress from PND2-11 resulted in an elevation in 2-AG content in the amygdala at both PND12 and PND14. Data are presented as means +/− SEM. * denotes significant differences (p < .05) between identified age windows or between identified CON and MS groups. All n = 7-8 / treatment condition.