Well, an experiment carried out at the Complutense University of Madrid with pregnant mice has found that the effects of this substance are manifested in the long-term in the offspring. Those whose mothers received multiple doses of THC during the gestation period experienced alterations in their motor behavior and an increased sensitivity to experiencing seizures as they reached adulthood. This implies that an exposure during pregnancy, even momentary, to this cannabis compound ends up producing consequences later.
Ismael Galve-Roperh, researcher at the UCM Cannabinoid Signaling Group and coordinator of the work, which is published in the journal PNAS , explains that two months after birth, when the mice reach their development as adults, these rodents they suffered changes in motor behavior and a tendency to have seizures was detected, as a consequence of alterations in neuronal differentiation and connectivity.
The scientists had injected a moderate dose of THC (3 milligrams per kilo) into a population sample of twelve-day pregnant mice. THC was administered to them for five days and it was found that its effects depended on the CB1 receptor (the protein responsible for most of the effects of cannabinoids). After the mice were born, neuronal changes were analyzed and, two months later, the motor function necessary to perform complex activities, as well as neuronal excitability (responsible for seizures), were studied, comparing the results with mice whose mothers did not they had received the dose of the cannabinoid.
Although the experiment has been carried out in an animal model, the authors of the research believe that it may be a good indication for the human body, as it clearly shows that cannabis use has effects on pregnancy. The next step in its study will be to find out the psychiatric implications of the administration of this psychoactive component in pregnant mice and the consequences for their offspring when they reach adulthood in parameters related to depression, anxiety or psychotic disorders.
The study was carried out in the UCM group, attached to the Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) and the Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), with the collaboration of scientists from the Johannes Gutenberg Mainz University (Germany).
