Artificial intelligence assisted behavioral profiling of synthetic cannabinoids in planarians.
Forensic Toxicology July 1, 2026 Jay R Vargas, Laura L Hernandez, Leo H Lai et al.
Freshwater planarians exposed to different cannabinoids show distinct movement patterns that can be distinguished by automated behavioral profiling. Δ⁹-THC and the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-412 suppressed overall locomotion, while AB-PINACA and MA-CHMINACA preserved movement volume but severely disrupted coordinated gliding and caused abnormal postures. A-796,260 had mild effects. Principal component analysis captured 91.4% of the variance in these behavioral profiles, separating compounds by pharmacological class. Automated planarian behavioral profiling offers a scalable, non-vertebrate assay for functional characterization of emerging synthetic cannabinoids, supporting forensic toxicology and public health surveillance.