Concurrent maternal stress and THC exposure during pregnancy alters adolescent behavioral outcomes and corticolimbic molecular programs.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology June 28, 2025 Jimmy Olusakin, Mahima Dewan, Atul Kashyap et al. preprint
Prenatal exposure to THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis) and chronic psychosocial stress, alone or combined, impair maternal behavior in mice and produce lasting behavioral and molecular changes in adolescent offspring. All exposure groups showed disrupted caregiving, with additive effects when THC and stress were combined. Adolescent offspring displayed increased anxiety and reduced motivation, with THC alone affecting female social behavior. Gene expression changes in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens were sex- and region-specific, altering pathways related to mitochondria, synapses, and glial cells. THC and stress independently and additively impair maternal behaviors and leave lasting neurodevelopmental signatures.