“The females weren’t completely unaffected. “What we saw was that only the males exhibited this anxiety,” said Sarikahya. Dopamine is critical in helping to regulate emotion and anxiety. Males exhibited a hyperactive dopamine system into adulthood, while females dopamine system eventually levelled out. Researchers also noted a difference in how male exposed rats reacted compared to their female counterparts. “We were very surprised at the magnitude of the impact on the brain’s fatty acid signaling pathways, especially given the critical importance of this system on normal brain development,” said Research Supervisor Steven Laviolette, who works in the department of anatomy and cell biology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. The THC-treated rats had major losses in the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the brain, especially in areas responsible for processing emotion and anxiety. They then examined the offspring of the exposed rats, finding severe impacts on the rodents’ developing brains. Sarikahya, a Western PhD student.ĭespite that, expectant mothers often believe cannabis use is safe because it is a natural, non-pharmacological option to reduce symptoms of nausea and anxiety.įor the study, researchers exposed pregnant rats to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. “A lot of people don’t understand that prenatal cannabis exposure hasn’t been that well researched, so we don’t really know the full impact of it on the developing brain,” said Lead Researcher Mohammed H.
Western researchers launched the study to fill in gaps in understanding surrounding prenatal cannabis exposure. New research out of Western University is shedding light on how cannabis use during pregnancy can negatively affect brain development in babies.
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