Central Executive Network drives delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced nonlinear changes in large-scale functional connectivity in adolescent nonhuman primates.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology October 1, 2025 Andrew Jin Soo Byun, Harshawardhan U Deshpande, Jessi Stover et al.
Chronic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure during adolescence alters functional connectivity between the default mode and central executive networks in the adult brain in a dose-dependent manner. In squirrel monkeys given daily low (0.32 mg/kg) or high (3.2 mg/kg) THC injections for six months during adolescence, only the low dose increased connectivity between these networks during the exposure period, an effect that reversed after discontinuation. The high dose and vehicle controls showed no such change. The central executive network appeared to drive this effect. The findings suggest that adolescent THC exposure can produce non-linear, dose-dependent disruptions in large-scale brain networks.