Recent research within the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study cohort has linked prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) to increased neurobehavioral problems and reduced total gray and white matter volume in children. This study specifically investigates the impact of PCE on frontolimbic white matter pathways crucial for cognitive- and emotion-related functioning and susceptible to cannabis exposure during rapid neurodevelopment periods.
Cannabis stands as the most commonly used federally illicit substance among pregnant individuals in the United States. Despite its prevalence, emerging preclinical data raise concerns about certain cannabis constituents, including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its bioactive metabolites, crossing the placenta and accumulating in the fetal brain, potentially disrupting neurodevelopment.
The study incorporates 11,530 children (mean ± SD age = 118.99 ± 7.49 months; 47% female) from the ABCD Study cohort. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to assess the effects of caregiver-reported PCE on fractional anisotropy in 10 frontolimbic pathways (5 per hemisphere).
“PCE was correlated with reduced fractional anisotropy in the right (β = -0.005, p < .001) and left (β = -0.003, p = .007) fornix. These findings retained significance even after adjustments for various covariates, multiple comparisons, fractional anisotropy of all fibers, and when using a quality-control cohort exclusively”, study said.
“The study reveals modest yet consistent effects of PCE on white matter integrity during childhood, particularly in the fornix, a region pivotal for emotion- and memory-related processes. Ongoing research is imperative to comprehend the implications of subtle changes in brain structure or function on neurodevelopment and the potential risk of neurobehavioral problems”, concluded.
in Costa Rica. 
