Marijuana for morning sickness? This is not good for baby's brain

Orlando, Florida (April 9, 2019) – With a growing number of states legalizing marijuana for recreational or medical purposes, more and more women are using drugs during pregnancy, in part because of its ability to relieve morning sickness. A new study, conducted in rats, highlights the effects of cannabis exposure on the brain of a developing fetus.

Previous research has shown that children born to mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy were more likely to develop behavioral problems as well as learning and memory disabilities. The new research offers further confirmation of these findings and indicates how the drug alters the complex connections of the hippocampal nerves, center of learning and memory of the brain. According to the researchers, understanding exactly how marijuana affects these brain connections could lead to interventions to reduce the damage.

"The results of this study will provide an excellent starting point for future interventions aimed at restoring the memory of children exposed to cannabis during pregnancy, and will for the first time identify a specific mechanism by which learning and cognitive impairments can occur. memory and how this alteration can be improved, "said Priyanka Das Pinky, a postgraduate student at Vishnu Suppiramaniam Laboratory, PhD, Acting Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs at the University of New York. Auburn.

Pinky will present the results of the research at the annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, to be held in 2019, April 6-9 in Orlando, Florida.

According to a previous badysis, marijuana use during pregnancy increased by 62% between 2002 and 2014, along with the growing popularity of marijuana in the entire adult American population.

"Based on our research and previous discoveries in the field, it can be said that using marijuana during pregnancy would not be a wise choice," said Pinky. "However, it is also interesting to note that the effect observed in children may vary depending on their age and the trimester during which they were exposed to the drug, as well as the dose and route of the drug. 39, administration of the drug. "

The research team raised several groups of rats and exposed some of the females to a synthetic chemical that activates the same proteins as cannabis during pregnancy. They used a dose equivalent to moderate to high marijuana use in humans. By examining the brains of baby rats, they discovered that the connections, or synapses, between the hippocampal nerves were reduced in those exposed to synthetic cannabis.

After further examination, they found evidence that the problem was at the origin of a reduction in neuronal cell adhesion molecules (NCAM), an important protein for the maintenance of neuronal cells. appropriate neuronal connection and synaptic strength. The findings suggest that it may be possible to counteract the effects of marijuana by increasing the NCAM, but further research is needed to understand the mechanisms involved and determine whether the results, derived from studies of animals, would be applicable to human babies.

"It is still too early to reach a conclusion on the possible safe use of marijuana during pregnancy," Pinky said. "Further research is needed to evaluate the exact mechanism by which NCAM and / or its active form modulate cellular effects while focusing on the development of targeted drugs for the purpose of improving cognitive deficits."

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