# Cannabis, Depression and Neurobiological Function in Transition-Age Youth

> **NIH NIH K23** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $193,320

## Abstract

Project Summary
This application for a Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K23) will allow the candidate to
obtain specialized training and research expertise in new areas that will enable her to become an independent
physician scientist. Dr. Fischer details a five year research plan aimed at characterizing the effects of cannabis
exposure on neurobiological functioning and the evolution of depressive symptoms in transition age youth (TAY).
The specific aims are to prospectively examine the impact of cannabis exposure on reward and stress system
functioning, and to develop a preliminary integrative biomarker-guided model of the effects of cannabis exposure
on symptoms of reward impairment and depression in TAY. Forty regular cannabis-users and 30 non-cannabis-
using controls will be recruited and prospectively followed for 12 months. Participants will complete clinical and
substance use assessments, perform reward and stress tests utilizing functional neuroimaging and cortisol
bioassays, and provide hair samples to quantify aggregate delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure.
Findings from this work will advance our understanding of the neurobiological and psychiatric consequences of
cannabis exposure in TAY. The application builds on the candidate’s prior research experience in characterizing
the acute effects of cannabis in dual-disorder patients and examining functional connectivity biomarkers of risk,
resilience and treatment response in depression. Over the course of the K23, Dr. Fischer will receive in-depth
mentored-training in new areas that are essential to her career development: (1) the multidimensional
characterization of reward processing and impairment; (2) the neurobiology of phyto/endo-cannabinoids and the
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis; and (3) the longitudinal investigation and analysis of
translational cannabis and depression research in TAY. An interdisciplinary team of mentors who are experts in
the characterization of reward function and impairment in relation to substance abuse (Dr. Knutson), phyto/endo-
cannabinoid pharmacology and physiology (Dr. Piomelli), HPA stress-axis physiology and pathophysiology in
depression (Dr. Schatzberg), adolescent cannabis research (Dr. Tapert), and statistical methods for analyzing
longitudinal data (Dr. Jo) will help the candidate meet her training and research objectives. This program of
research and training directly aligns with NIDA and NIMH Strategic Plans and Priorities by rigorously
characterizing the neurobiological and psychiatric impact of cannabis exposure during an understudied period
of brain development using quantitative, multivariate, and longitudinal assessments. Dr. Fischer’s research and
training will take place at Stanford University. This K23 Career Development Award will provide a fundamental
foundation for the candidate to achieve her career goals of characterizing the longitudinal effects of cannabis
exposure on neurobiological fu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10370928
- **Project number:** 1K23DA053409-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Adina Sheri Fischer
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $193,320
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-15 → 2029-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10370928

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10370928, Cannabis, Depression and Neurobiological Function in Transition-Age Youth (1K23DA053409-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10370928. Licensed CC0.

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