J Psychopharmacol February 27, 2026
Prenatal THC exposure and binge-like alcohol drinking in early adolescence: From sex-specific drinking vulnerability to abnormal endocannabinoid-dopamine nexus in the nucleus accumbens.
Current Addiction Reports February 27, 2026 Amanda C. Lee, Jibran Y. Khokhar
Purpose of Review The association between cannabis use and schizophrenia is a growing public health concern, particularly in vulnerable populations. This review synthesizes insights from recent studies to investigate how preclinical rodent models can help clarify this relationship. Recent Findings Increasingly advanced paradigms have been developed, including various translationally-relevant...
Psychopharmacology February 20, 2026 Monica S Carbajal, Rebecca C Crenshaw, Victoria E Williams et al.
Cannabis use during 2021pregnancy is common as many pregnant women consider cannabis as a safe way to alleviate symptoms associated with pregnancy because it is "natural". However, clinical evidence links perinatal cannabis exposure to externalizing behavior in offspring. In preclinical research, most studies focus on exposure to the psychoactive constituent of cannabis,...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience February 18, 2026 Tallan Black, Rhiannon E Boseley, Amanda Quirk et al.
Perspectives surrounding Cannabis use have transformed over the past decade. This shift in perspective has been noted in pregnant populations in Canada and the US, where various investigations report that the use of Cannabis in pregnancy is increasingly commonplace. There is some evidence indicating that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main intoxicating phytocannabinoid found within Cannabis...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health February 17, 2026 Carla J. Berg, Cassidy R Loparco, Darcey M. Mccready et al. 1 citation
This study assessed the correlates of cannabis and psychedelic use and legalization support among young adults in the United States (US). Using 2025 data among adults ages 18–34 (n = 3227), we assessed cannabis and psychedelic message exposure and perceptions, mental health symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-4 [PHQ-4]), and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in relation to past-6-month...
European Neuropsychopharmacology February 12, 2026 José Carlos Bouso, Óscar Andión, Sabela Fondevila Estévez et al.
The increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and cannabis underscores the need to understand their long-term neuropsychological and personality effects. This cross-sectional study compared regular users of ayahuasca (n = 69), cannabis (n = 56), and non-substance users (n = 94) on a battery of neuropsychological tasks and psychological questionnaires. Participants were...
Journal of Forensic Sciences February 12, 2026 Thomas Sheehan, Hilary J Hamnett, Sarah G. G. Russell et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or "ecstasy," is a commonly used drug worldwide, including in New Zealand, where 4.8% of the population aged 15 years or over reported using it in a 2023/2024 survey. This study provides additional insights on MDMA prevalence data in New Zealand by reporting toxicology data from Coronial and driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases positive for...
Psychopharmacology February 1, 2026 Nicole L Zabik, Allesandra Iadipaolo, Craig A Peters et al.
Prior work from our lab and others demonstrates that the endocannabinoid system is a promising avenue for improving fear memory deficits in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, 7.5 mg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) decreases fear responding in healthy adults and increases prefrontal cortex activation during extinction learning and fear renewal in adults with PTSD. The...
Psychopharmacology February 1, 2026 Savannah H M Lightfoot, Andrei S Nastase, Gabriela Costa Lenz Cesar et al.
Current treatment options for PTSD have unreliable efficacy, with many individuals unable to achieve complete remission. Cannabis and cannabinoids that act through the endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system to help promote trauma recovery by means of enhanced extinction learning are potential therapeutic, pharmacological candidates. Using a preclinical model of translationally-relevant...
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research February 1, 2026 Meetu Wadhwa, Gregory A Chinn, Katrina Duong et al.
Cannabis consumption among adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, continues to rise. However, the long-term effects of early-life exposure to cannabinoids on brain development remain unclear. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis and is an agonist of cannabinoid type 1 receptor, a critical component of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that...
The American journal of psychiatry February 1, 2026 Jane Metrik, Elizabeth R Aston, Rachel L Gunn et al.
Cannabis use is strongly linked with heavy drinking and worse alcohol treatment outcomes; however, it may also contribute to decreased alcohol consumption. To date, no human studies have established a causal effect of cannabis on alcohol motivation. The aim of this double-blind crossover randomized clinical trial was to examine dose-dependent acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)...
Brain and Behavior February 1, 2026 Burçin Ün, Zeki Akarsakarya, Özlem Yorulmaz Özü et al.
Previous studies have suggested that adenosinergic system in the central nervous system may play a role in both behavioral changes and the physiopathology induced by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and this is thought to be mediated by adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs). However, the contribution of the adenosinergic system to the anxiety-like behaviors in response to THC in mice is not well...