Perinatal exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) alters goal-directed behavior and dopamine functioning in wistar rats.
Psychopharmacology February 20, 2026 Monica S Carbajal, Rebecca C Crenshaw, Victoria E Williams et al.
Perinatal exposure to THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, reduces motivation to work for rewards in adult rats, especially males, without affecting impulsive behavior. Rats exposed to 5 mg/kg/day THC from before birth through early nursing showed fewer lever presses and earned fewer reinforcers in tasks requiring high effort. The exposure did not alter baseline dopamine release in brain reward regions but dampened the dopamine response to cocaine in the nucleus accumbens. These findings suggest that prenatal cannabis exposure may produce an amotivational state by devaluing rewards rather than by impairing impulse control, with males more affected.