# Effects of adolescent cannabinoid exposure on cortical development

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $65,310

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period for neuronal development, and exposure to drugs of abuse during this period of
vulnerability can alter the course of normal neurodevelopment causing changes that persist into adulthood.
Initial exposure to cannabinoids, such as Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), often occurs during adolescence
and this exposure can alter development on a neuronal and molecular level. Previous preclinical studies have
indicated that repeated exposure to THC during adolescence can produce learning and memory deficits.
These studies were performed using experimenter-administered doses of THC, as rodent self-administration of
THC has been notoriously hard to achieve. Thus, the effects of cannabinoid exposure at self-administered
doses of THC where the animal can choose how much drug to receive over time may differ from the effects of
experimenter-administered doses. Additionally, THC administered in this manner may result in alternate effects
on learning and memory than have been demonstrated by other paradigms. To address this gap in knowledge,
the proposed studies will test the prolonged effects of adolescent THC self-administration on behavior,
receptor expression, and neuronal activity in adulthood. Rats will be given access to low or high dose THC
throughout adolescence, and once they reach adulthood, they will be tested on a delayed-match-to-sample
working memory task. In some rats, we will then measure the expression of dopaminergic and cannabinoid
receptors as the expression of these receptors is developing during adolescence and may be disrupted by
chronic activation due to high THC exposure. Additionally, we will use in vivo calcium imaging during the
working memory task to measure neuronal activity, tracking individual PFC neurons and measuring dynamic
fluctuations in activity during learning. Our central hypothesis is that chronic THC exposure during adolescence
will cause dose-dependent neuroadaptations in cortical dopaminergic and cannabinoid signaling, leading to
alterations in neuronal activity that impact the performance of a cognitively demanding behavior. The proposed
training plan will allow me to develop new and necessary skills in cell and molecular techniques, as well as in
the statistical analysis of complex neuronal datasets. I will be able to draw on the expertise of strong faculty
mentors and collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to ensure the
successful completion of my research training plan. These innovative longitudinal studies will significantly
advance our knowledge of the protracted neurobiological effects of adolescent exposure to THC. The
proposed experiments will provide a detailed characterization of the progression activity in individual prefrontal
neurons and ensembles during the learning of a complex task, in both drug and non-drug exposed animals.
Given the recent political and health-related interest in the effects of cannabinoids...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9889802
- **Project number:** 5F32DA047029-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** SIERRA STRINGFIELD
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $65,310
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9889802

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9889802, Effects of adolescent cannabinoid exposure on cortical development (5F32DA047029-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9889802. Licensed CC0.

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