Experts at the University of Western Ontario have found that chronic exposure to cannabis during adolescence might be associated with long-term memory impairments and increased anxiety.
As published in Neuropsychopharmacology, the authors described using a combination of behavioral, molecular, and neural assays in a neurodevelopmental rodent model of adolescent THC exposure.
“We report that adolescent THC exposure induces long-lasting memory deficits and anxiety like-behaviors concomitant with a wide range of differential molecular and neuronal abnormalities in dorsal vs. ventral hippocampal regions,” according to the study’s authors.
“In addition, using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS), we show for the first time that adolescent THC exposure induces significant and enduring dysregulation of GABA and glutamate levels in dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus.”
The study was published on November 19, 2022.
