Maternal Exposure to the Cannabinoid Agonist WIN 55,12,2 during Lactation Induces Lasting Behavioral and Synaptic Alterations in the Rat Adult Offspring of Both Sexes.
Andrew F ScheyerMilene BorsoiAnne-Laure Pelissier-AlicotOlivier Jacques José ManzoniPublished in: eNeuro (2020)
Consumption of cannabis during pregnancy and the lactation period is a rising public health concern (Scheyer et al., 2019). Exposure to synthetic or plant-derived cannabinoids via lactation disrupts the development of GABAergic neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and alters early-life behaviors (Scheyer et al., 2020b). Recently, additional data revealed that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) perinatal exposure via lactation causes lasting behavioral and neuronal consequences (Scheyer et al., 2020a). Here, the long-term effects in adult offspring of maternal exposure to the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,12,2 are reported. The data demonstrate that rats exposed during lactation to WIN display social and motivational deficits at adulthood. These behavioral changes were paralleled by a specific loss of endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression (eCB-LTD) in the PFC and nucleus accumbens (NAc), while other forms of synaptic plasticity remained intact. Thus, similarly to THC, perinatal WIN exposure via lactation induces behavioral and synaptic abnormalities lasting into adulthood.
Keyphrases
- dairy cows
- human milk
- early life
- prefrontal cortex
- public health
- depressive symptoms
- low birth weight
- electronic health record
- high fat diet
- traumatic brain injury
- healthcare
- preterm infants
- transcription factor
- mental health
- oxidative stress
- young adults
- birth weight
- pregnancy outcomes
- machine learning
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- spinal cord injury
- global health