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Hippocampal function is impaired in animals exposed in utero to a cannabinoid agonist (NEJM JW Psychiatry May 22 2003). But sequelae from parental cannabis use before gestation have been unknown. To study this area, investigators exposed male and female adolescent rats (generation F0) to cannabis (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) or vehicle.
Generation F1 rats were produced from THC-exposed pairs or vehicle-exposed pairs. All parents were THC-free during gestation. From postnatal day 2, F1 rats were fostered in a drug-free environment by nonexposed surrogates.
In adolescent F1 rats (postnatal day 35), parental THC exposure, compared with nonexposure, was associated with higher messenger RNA and protein levels of dopamine, glutamatergic, and can…