# Mood, cognitive, and metabolic consequences of chronic vaporized cannabis exposure in mouse models of menopause

> **NIH NIH R21** · WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $229,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The legalization of recreational and medicinal cannabis in several states across the US has increased the need
to better understand its effects on the body, brain, and behaviors in diverse populations. Notably, people 50 and
over are the fastest growing group of cannabis users in the US. Among this group are women who have
undergone the transition to reproductive senescence, known as menopause, which occurs at the average age
of 51. Menopause and the attending decrease in circulating estrogens is associated with a variety of symptoms
including mood, anxiety, and cognitive impairments as well as metabolic changes that are linked to poor health
outcomes. As an increasing number of post-menopausal women use cannabis, either recreationally or
medicinally to treat menopause symptoms, it will be important to evaluate the health risks and benefits of
cannabis use in this unique population. Here, preclinical mouse models are particularly valuable, as they provide
precise control over cannabis treatment (composition, frequency etc.) and enable researchers to dissociate the
contribution of age and endocrine status to various neural, behavioral, and metabolic outcomes. To produce
readily translatable findings from mice to humans, preclinical models should closely resemble human patterns
of cannabis consumption. To this end, along with co-I Dr. Ryan McLaughlin, the Delevich lab has recently
validated a novel vapor inhalation model of whole plant cannabis extract for use in mice. Thus, the objective of
this R21 proposal is to utilize this model of cannabis use to model the consequences of chronic cannabis use in
the post-menopausal state. To this end, in Aim 1A we will first establish the pharmacokinetics of vaporized
cannabis in young adult (postnatal day 90) and aged (18 month) female mice who differ by endocrine status
(ovarian intact vs. ovariectomized). Next, in Aim 1B we will assess the effect of chronic cannabis vapor exposure
on energy balance, including weight gain, body composition, food intake, and home cage locomotor activity, in
these same groups. In Aim 2A we will examine how chronic cannabis vapor exposure influences mood-related
endpoints and cognitive flexibility in young vs. aged OVX and ovarian intact female mice. Finally, given the co-
expression of estrogen receptors and endocannabinoid system components within the medial prefrontal cortex
(mPFC), and this region’s function in mood regulation and cognitive flexibility, in Aim 2B we will assess the effect
of chronic cannabis vapor exposure on glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission onto layer II/III and
V pyramidal neurons within the prelimbic subregion of the mPFC in young vs. aged OVX and ovarian intact mice.
Together, these aims employ a conceptually and technically innovative approach to study the brain, body, and
behavioral effects of chronic cannabis use in a vastly understudied population. Funding this R21 proposal will
establish the vaporized cannabis expo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10989296
- **Project number:** 1R21DA059754-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristen Marie Delevich
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $229,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10989296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10989296, Mood, cognitive, and metabolic consequences of chronic vaporized cannabis exposure in mouse models of menopause (1R21DA059754-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10989296. Licensed CC0.

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