Work

The Effect of Prenatal Marijuana Exposure on White Matter Microstructure and Cortical Morphology during Late Childhood

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Marijuana consumption by pregnant women has been steadily increasing during the past decades. Even though many pregnant women perceive marijuana consumption as safe during pregnancy, it has been previously linked to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. The specific long-lasting neurodevelopmental alterations caused by prenatal marijuana exposure in children are still underexplored. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of prenatal marijuana exposure on brain neurodevelopment in late childhood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between prenatal marijuana exposure and neuroimaging markers of brain health. Data were obtained from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, a large, demographically diverse, multicenter cohort. The study included 1085 children, 418 of whom were prenatally exposed to marijuana and 667 matched controls with no prenatal exposure, with a mean age of 9.9 (SD, 0.6) years in both groups. RESULTS: We found that prenatal exposure to marijuana is associated with brain alterations in white matter tracts and cortical regions essential for goal-directed behaviors, including motivation, cognitive skills for achieving specific objectives, and emotional processing. Direct group comparisons revealed significantly reduced WM integrity in prenatally exposed children, with an overall reduction in fractional anisotropy and neurite density and higher mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity. Furthermore, mixed linear model regressions revealed that prenatal marijuana exposure was significantly associated with decreased WM microstructure, predominantly in the superior corticostriate tract and corticostriate projections via the external capsule to the superior parietal and frontal cortices and with reduced cortical surface area in the left hemisphere parahippocampal and right hemisphere postcentral gyri. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to marijuana may result in long-lasting alterations in children's brain neurodevelopment. These alterations may impair critical skills needed as children grow into adolescence.

Source: American Journal of Neuroradiology

DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a8774

Authors: Hector Acosta-Rodriguez, Pratheek Bobba, Tal Zeevi, Laura R. Ment, Seyedmehdi Payabvash

Institutions: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Yale University, Columbia University, NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Subfield: Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke