Chronic adolescent exposure to cannabis in mice leads to sex-biased changes in gene expression networks across brain regions
Neuropsychopharmacology August 22, 2022 Yanning Zuo, Attilio Iemolo, Patricia Montilla‐Perez et al. 24 citations
High doses of THC given to adolescent mice impaired memory and social behaviors, with sex- and brain region-specific molecular changes. In females, THC affected endocannabinoid signaling in the dorsal medial striatum and inflammation in the ventral tegmental area; in males, it altered synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens. Gene coexpression networks identified four key driver genes—Hapln4, Kcnc1, Elavl2, Zcchc12—in the nucleus accumbens of both sexes that link to addiction processes, synaptic transmission, brain development, and lipid metabolism, and are also associated with genetic susceptibility to cannabis use disorder in humans.