1. Prenatal tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol exposure produce sex-specific pathophysiological phenotypes in the adolescent prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
- Author
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DeVuono MV, Nashed MG, Sarikahya MH, Kocsis A, Lee K, Vanin SR, Hudson R, Lonnee EP, Rushlow WJ, Hardy DB, and Laviolette SR
- Subjects
- Models, Animal, Animals, Rats, Sex Factors, Male, Female, Pregnancy, Rats, Wistar, Memory drug effects, Anxiety chemically induced, Cognition drug effects, Impulsive Behavior drug effects, Psychotropic Drugs toxicity, Dronabinol toxicity, Cannabidiol toxicity, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Prefrontal Cortex drug effects, Hippocampus drug effects, Behavior, Animal drug effects
- Abstract
Clinical and preclinical evidence has demonstrated an increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders following prenatal cannabinoid exposure. However, given the phytochemical complexity of cannabis, there is a need to understand how specific components of cannabis may contribute to these neurodevelopmental risks later in life. To investigate this, a rat model of prenatal cannabinoid exposure was utilized to examine the impacts of specific cannabis constituents (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]; cannabidiol [CBD]) alone and in combination on future neuropsychiatric liability in male and female offspring. Prenatal THC and CBD exposure were associated with low birth weight. At adolescence, offspring displayed sex-specific behavioural changes in anxiety, temporal order and social cognition, and sensorimotor gating. These phenotypes were associated with sex and treatment-specific neuronal and gene transcriptional alterations in the prefrontal cortex, and ventral hippocampus, regions where the endocannabinoid system is implicated in affective and cognitive development. Electrophysiology and RT-qPCR analysis in these regions implicated dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system and balance of excitatory and inhibitory signalling in the developmental consequences of prenatal cannabinoids. These findings reveal critical insights into how specific cannabinoids can differentially impact the developing fetal brains of males and females to enhance subsequent neuropsychiatric risk., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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