Age-Dependent Effects of Cannabinoids on Neurophysiological, Emotional, and Motivational States
摘要
Neurodevelopmental cannabinoid exposure is associated with a variety of long-term psychopathological outcomes. This increased risk includes mood and anxiety disorders as well as lasting cognitive deficits. Preclinical research is shedding light on a wide array of neuropathophysiological signatures and molecular mechanisms that may underlie THC-related psychiatric risk vulnerability, particularly following prenatal and adolescent cannabinoid exposure. This chapter will describe the main studies that have dealt with the long-term detrimental effects of THC exposure when exposure occurs in vulnerable periods of brain development: the pre- and perinatal phases and adolescence. Lasting behavioral effects on emotional behavior and cognition will be summarized as well as the possible neurobiological underpinnings of such lasting effects.