To further explore CB1 receptor-mediated signaling with the BA-prelimbic cortex circuit, this group also utilized single-unit in vivo extracellular recordings to determine how intra BA CB1-receptor activity could remotely control neuronal activity patterns within subpopulations of prelimbic neurons (Tan et al., 2011). These data indicate that intra-BA microinfusion of WIN 55,212-2 caused an increase in neuronal activity (as measured by the spontaneous firing rate, neuronal bursting activity and interspike intervals) of recorded prelimbic neurons. Conversely, intra-BA CB1 receptor blockade by treatment with AM251 caused a decrease in spontaneous prelimbic cortex neuronal activity. Interestingly, under the highest tested doses of both intra-BA treatment conditions, a small population of prelimbic cortex neurons demonstrated the opposite response patterns, i.e., a decrease or increase in prelimbic cortex neuronal activity in response to intra-BA CB1 receptor activation or inhibition respectively, possibly demonstrating the bidirectional functional connectivity between these two regions (Tan et al., 2011). These authors demonstrate that intra-BLA CB1 receptor can strongly modulate neuronal activity within a subpopulation of prelimbic cortex neurons (Tan et al., 2011).
