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Jenny L. Wiley,
Ph.D. |
Education: Virginia Commonwealth University, 1991
Research interests:
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the primary psychoactive substituent of marijuana, produces its behavioral effects through interaction with a neuromodulatory lipid system in the brain that is normally activated by several endogenous substances, including anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol. This endocannabinoid system is involved in a variety of physiological processes such as brain reward, cognition, appetite regulation, and pain perception. While the distinct roles of the different endocannabinoids in these various processes have not been completely delineated, this area has received intense research attention from several labs here and elsewhere. Recent research in my lab has focused primarily on the preclinical behavioral pharmacology of plant-derived and synthetic cannabinoids and their interactions with the endocannabinoid system as well as with other neurotransmitter systems, especially those involved in mediation of reward (e.g., dopamine). Of particular interest are two interrelated research questions: (1) What is the nature of the relationship between the intoxicating properties of cannabinoids and their other pharmacological effects (e.g., cognitive impairment, reward)? and (2) What roles do the endocannabinoid system play in mediation / modulation of the hedonic properties of natural and drug-induced reward? Given that marijuana abuse in humans is most often initiated during adolescence and that early use is typically associated with greater long-term impairment, some of my research effort has also been concentrated on examination of the short- and long-term effects of exposure to Δ9-THC during this vulnerable developmental period in adolescent (vs. adult) rats of both sexes. Working through an extensive collaborative network of investigators within and outside of the department and university, my lab is participating in a coordinated investigation of brain-behavior relationships related to pharmacological manipulation of the endocannabinoid system.
Wiley JL, Burston JJ, Leggett DC, Alekseeva OO, Razdan RK, Mahadevan A,
Martin BR. (2005). CB1 cannabinoid receptor-mediated modulation of food
intake in mice. Br J Pharmacol, 145: 293-300.
Wiley JL, Razdan RK, Smith FL, Dewey WL. (2005). Task specificity of cross
tolerance between Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and anandamide analogs in mice.
Eur J Pharmacol, 510: 59-68.
Vann RE, Cook CD, Martin BR, Wiley JL. (2007). Cannabimimetic properties
of ajulemic acid. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 320: 678-686.
Wiley JL, O’Connell MM, Tokarz ME, Wright MJ Jr. (2007). Pharmacological
effects of acute and repeated administration of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in
adolescent and adult rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 320: 1097-1105.
Burston JJ, Sim-Selley LJ, Harloe JP, Mahadevan A, Razdan RK, Selley DE,
Wiley JL. (2008). N-Arachidonyl maleimide (NAM) potentiates the
pharmacological and biochemical effects of the endocannabinoid
2-arachidonylglycerol through inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase. J
Pharmacol Exp Ther, 327: 546-553.
McKinney DL, Cassidy MP, Collier LM, Martin BR, Wiley JL, Selley DE,
Sim-Selley LJ. (2008). Dose-related differences in the regional pattern of
CB1 receptor adaptation and in vivo tolerance development to
∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 324: 664-673.
Vann RL, Gamage TF, Warner JA, Marshall EM, Taylor NL, Martin BR, Wiley JL.
(2008). Divergent effects of cannabidiol on the discriminative stimulus
and place conditioning effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Drug Alcohol
Depend, 94: 191-198.
Wiley JL, Evans RL, Grainger DB, Nicholson KL. (2008). Age-dependent
differences in sensitivity and sensitization to cannabinoids and “club
drugs” in male adolescent and adult rats. Addict Biol, 13: 277-286.
Wiley JL, Kendler SH, Burston JJ, Howard DR, Selley DE, Sim-Selley LJ.
(2008). Antipsychotic-induced alterations in CB1 receptor-mediated
G-protein signaling and in vivo pharmacology in rats. Neuropharmacology,
55: 1183-1190.
Wiley JL, Evans RL. (2009). To breed or not to breed? Empirical evaluation
of drug effects in adolescent rats. Int J Dev Neurosci, in press.
doi:10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2008.11.002.