The Hidden Dangers of Prenatal Cannabis Revealed

New research links prenatal cannabis exposure to potential developmental and mental health issues through changes in brain structure and function, based on findings from neuroimaging data.

Scientists are trying to understand how cannabis may affect long-term neurodevelopment when people are exposed to it in the womb. Previous work by Washington University in St. Louis researchers Sarah Paul and David Baranger in the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) lab led by Ryan Bogdan found associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and potential mental health conditions in childhood and adolescence, but potential biological mechanisms that could possibly explain this association were unclear.

Potential Biological Mechanisms Unveiled
In research published in Nature Mental Health this month, Bogdan, the Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at WashU, and Postdoctoral Fellow Baranger, outline some of those potential mechanisms, the intermediate biological steps that could play into how prenatal cannabis exposure leads to behavioral issues down the line.