Adolescent Δ9-THC Exposure Differentially Affects Mice Depending on Their Personality.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) June 29, 2026 Dilorom Begmatova, Liudmila Vinnikova, Natalya Zemliana et al.
Adolescent THC exposure produces opposite long-term effects depending on an individual's stress-coping style. In stress-vulnerable Submissive mice, THC increased exploration and reduced anxiety-like behavior in adulthood, while in stress-resilient Dominant mice it decreased exploration and increased anxiety. THC also potentiated MK-801-induced hyperlocomotion in Dominant mice but attenuated it in Submissive mice, indicating differential effects on vulnerability to schizophrenia-like symptoms. These findings suggest that stress-vulnerability traits may explain inconsistent results in prior studies and should be considered in future research on adolescent cannabis exposure.