Abstract
AbstractBecause of the legalization ofCannabisin many jurisdictions and the trend of increasing Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content inCannabisproducts, an urgent need exists to understand the impact ofCannabisuse during pregnancy on fetal neurodevelopment and behavior. To this end, we exposed female Sprague Dawley rats toCannabissmoke daily from gestational day 6 to 20 or room air. Maternal reproductive parameters, offspring behavior, and gene expression in the offspring amygdala were assessed. Body temperature was decreased in dams following smoke exposure and more fecal boli were observed in the chambers before and after smoke exposure in dams exposed to smoke. Maternal weight gain, food intake, gestational length, litter number, and litter weight were not altered by exposure toCannabissmoke. A significant increase in the male-to-female ratio was noted in theCannabis-exposed litters. In adulthood, male and femaleCannabissmoke-exposed offspring explored the inner zone of an open field significantly less than control offspring. GestationalCannabissmoke exposure did not affect behavior on the elevated plus maze test or social interaction test in the offspring.Cannabisoffspring were better at visual pairwise discrimination and reversal learning tasks conducted in touchscreen-equipped operant conditioning chambers. Analysis of gene expression in the adult amygdala using RNA sequencing revealed subtle changes in genes related to development, cellular function, and nervous system disease in a subset of the male offspring. These results demonstrate that repeated exposure to high-THCCannabissmoke during gestation alters maternal physiological parameters, sex ratio, and anxiety-like behaviors in the adulthood offspring.
Funder
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation
Fondation Brain Canada
Gouvernement du Canada | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Subject
General Medicine,General Neuroscience
Cited by
1 articles.
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