Prenatal cannabis exposure affects human fetal neurodevelopment: an integrated multi-omics study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genomics
• Proteomics

Background:

• Prenatal cannabis use is increasing.
• Observational studies suggest negative neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring.
• Observational studies may have confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular-level neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal cannabis exposure.
• To identify specific molecular pathways affected by cannabis exposure during fetal development.

Main Methods:

• Integrated multi-omics approach combining transcriptomics and global proteomics.
• Analysis of human fetal brain tissue from first (T1) and second (T2) trimesters.
• Comparison between pregnancies with and without documented maternal cannabis exposure, excluding other drug use.

Main Results:

• Minimal molecular effects observed in female T1 fetal brains.
• Pronounced system-level molecular disruption identified in male T2 fetal brains.
• Disrupted pathways show molecular signatures associated with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and cortical connectivity disorders.

Conclusions:

• Prenatal cannabis exposure can lead to significant molecular alterations in the developing male fetal brain.
• These molecular changes are linked to serious neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions.
• Findings highlight potential risks of maternal cannabis use during pregnancy.