Prenatal cannabis: A fetal neuroimaging study of neurodevelopment

项目总结 目前的估计表明，在北美，超过7%的妇女在怀孕期间使用大麻，而这 随着合法化变得越来越普遍，使用量也在增加。尽管产前大麻的流行率很高 暴露，它对早期大脑和行为发育的影响仍然没有得到很好的描述，留下了一些 认为这种接触是良性的，甚至可能是有益的(例如，治疗怀孕期间的恶心)的印象。 以前关于出生前大麻影响的神经发育研究一直是重要的局限性，包括 在生命的头两年(对神经发育至关重要的时期)，很少进行大脑/行为评估，很差 产后环境的特征，以及对产前和产后母亲情绪的有限评估 和焦虑，从而混淆了对产前大麻影响的解释。在我们的研究中，我们将登记怀孕 有(n=300)和无大麻使用史(n=150)的妇女在怀孕前三个月及以后 他们的后代在生命的头两年，专注于执行功能的神经发展。第一, 我们将通过自我报告措施和生物检疫来确定怀孕期间使用大麻的特征。 其次，我们将获得晚期妊娠的胎儿核磁共振扫描，以表征后代的大脑结构和功能 产后混淆。第三，我们将评估前两个孩子的认知和行为发展 通过父母报告和基于实验室的行为评估，生活数年。我们的设计认为至关重要 包括父母与婴儿的互动、产前和产后母亲的情绪和焦虑症状的混淆，共享 遗传易感性，以及妊娠期间伴随的药物使用。鉴于对大麻的安全性缺乏明确性 在怀孕期间使用，这项研究的发现将具有重要的公共卫生影响，因为 预防、宣传和战略，特别是在这个大麻使用日益增加的时代。

PROJECT SUMMARY Current estimates suggest that in North America over 7% of women use cannabis during pregnancy and this use is increasing as legalization becomes more common. Despite the high prevalence of prenatal cannabis exposure, its effects on early brain and behavioral development remain poorly characterized, leaving some with the impression that this exposure is benign or potentially even beneficial (e.g., to treat nausea during pregnancy). Prior neurodevelopmental research on prenatal cannabis effects have had been important limitations including few if any brain/behavioral assessments during first two years of life (a period critical to neurodevelopment), poor characterization of the post-natal environment, and limited assessments of pre- and post-natal maternal mood and anxiety, thus confounding interpretation of prenatal cannabis effects. In our study, we will enroll pregnant women with (n=300) and without a history (n=150) of cannabis use during the first trimester gestation and follow their offspring for the first two years of life with a focus on the neurodevelopment of executive functions. First, we will characterize prenatal cannabis use through pregnancy with self-report measures and biospecimens. Second, we will obtain third trimester fetal MRI scans to character offspring brain structure and function free of post-natal confounds. Third, we will assess offspring cognitive and behavioral development over the first two years of life with parent-report and laboratory-based behavioral assessments. Our design considers critical confounds including parent-infant interactions, pre- and postnatal maternal mood and anxiety symptoms, shared genetic liability, and concomitant drug use during pregnancy. Given the lack of clarity on the safety of cannabis use during pregnancy, findings from this study will have important public health implications by informing prevention messaging and strategies particularly in this era of increasing cannabis use.