PRENATAL THC AND ALCOHOL EXPOSURE INDUCES LASTING NEUROADAPTATIONS IN THE CENTRAL NUCLEUS OF THE AMYGDALA

Prenatal marijuana use has increasingly become more common with 70% of pregnant women believing prenatal marijuana exposure poses negligible risk of harm. The high rate of prenatal alcohol use combined with an increase in marijuana prevalence and social acceptance, may lead to an increase in comorbid maternal alcohol and cannabinoid exposure with little understanding of the potential lasting effects on offspring. Prenatal cannabinoid and alcohol exposure are known to alter neurodevelopment and induce lasting behavioral changes including higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse later in life. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of marijuana, binds cannabinoid receptors and activates the endocannabinoid (EC) system. The EC system is critically involved in brain development and modulates synaptic transmission processes, including those in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA; a hub of stress/anxiety processing critical to the development of addiction). Disruption of the EC system through prenatal drug use is thought to contribute to a predisposition to addictive behaviors.