“Scientific evidence has proven that CBD crosses the placenta, can reach the brain of rodents and human embryos and is also present in breast milk; therefore, it’s a public health priority to understand the impact of CBD on the developing nervous system as we don’t yet know the consequences of CBD exposure to the brain during development,” said study author Ms Alba Caceres Rodriguez, a PhD student, INSERM Université Aix-Marseille, France, in a press release.
For one of the studies, the researchers injected pregnant female mice with a low dose of CBD from day 5 to 18- almost all of the mouse gestational period. Another group of pregnant mice did not receive CBD and thus acted as controls. The researchers tested the behavior of the mice's offspring once they reached adulthood using a technology called ‘Live Mouse Tracker’. The technology used infrared, depth-sensing cameras, and machine learning to detect different behaviors after being placed in a new environment for several days.
Ultimately, the researchers found that CBD-exposed females tended to move around their new environment more than their non-exposed counterparts. Both male and female mice exposed to CBD were also more likely to establish physical contact with each other than unexposed mice.
"These findings indicate that prenatal exposure to CBD alters specific behaviours of groups of mice and that this depends on their sex. [...] This study serves as a good starting point to dive deeper to understand the actual consequences of these changes in overall social interactions in the long term,” noted Ms Caceres Rodriguez.
In another study, researchers investigated how CBD affects the anterior and posterior insular cortex. They found that prenatal exposure to CBD was linked to pyramidal neurons in the posterior insular cortex losing their cellular identity and normal function, which can impact the ability to understand and react to environments properly.
“These findings have significant implications for understanding the effects of CBD on foetal life, changing the general idea that CBD is a universally safe compound, and revealing the need for additional studies on the effect of prenatal CBD exposure. Furthermore, several studies have shown that IC disfunction increases the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, addiction, depression and schizophrenia,” noted study author Dr Daniela Iezzi from INSERM Université Aix-Marseille, France, in a press release.
Sources: EurekAlert