THC Exposure in Adolescence Alters Neurons Linked With Psychosis
An animal-model study suggests adolescent exposure to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, alters the architecture of prefrontal pyramidal neurons in a way that could enhance vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. The findings were published online in Molecular Psychiatry.
Researchers investigated the effect in the brains of rats exposed to THC during adolescence and followed into adulthood. The study measured gene expression and the structure of neurons in the prefrontal cortex. Computation analysis compared gene expressed networks in the animal model with those of humans with schizophrenia.
Adolescent THC exposure decreased the branching of prefrontal cortical neurons and the number of spines, essential for cellular communication, researchers reported. THC exposure was also linked with reorganization of the expression of specific genes mostly related to neuron development, synaptic plasticity, and chromatin organization.
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The gene networks impacted by exposure to THC, researchers found, reflected networks impaired in the prefrontal cortex of humans with schizophrenia.
“The study emphasizes that cannabis, particularly THC-prominent strains, has the capacity for long-term effects into adulthood, even after the drug is no longer in the body,” said researcher Yasmin Hurd, PhD, director of The Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai in New York City.
“The ability of THC to change the actual shape of developing neurons that are well-known to be essential for normal cortical communication is alarming. This emphasizes that even a drug that is not considered to be very harmful can alter the sensitivity of critical brain regions during adolescent development and, in particular, change the sensitivity of gene networks relevant to psychosis risk.”
Dr. Hurd called for increased education to inform teens about how cannabis and other drugs can impact the trajectory of their developing brains.
—Jolynn Tumolo
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