Prenatal THC Combined With Stress Caused Worse Behavioral and Brain Problems in Mouse Offspring
Pregnant mice exposed to both THC and chronic stress had the worst maternal behavior and offspring outcomes, with adolescent offspring showing sex-specific anxiety, reduced motivation, and altered gene expression in brain reward circuits.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
All exposure groups (THC alone, stress alone, combined) showed impaired maternal behavior, with additive effects in the combined group. Adolescent offspring showed sex-specific behavioral changes: stress and combined exposures increased anxiety and reduced motivation in both sexes; THC alone primarily affected female self-care and social behavior. Brain transcriptomics revealed sex- and region-specific gene expression changes affecting mitochondrial function, synaptic organization, and glial signaling.
Key Numbers
THC 2 mg/kg daily; stress GD3-12; combined group showed additive maternal impairment; sex-specific offspring behavioral changes; PFC and NAc transcriptomics showed distinct molecular pathway alterations for each exposure.
How They Did This
Translational mouse model combining prenatal THC (2 mg/kg daily) from GD3 to birth with maternal witness defeat stress from GD3-12. Assessed maternal behavior, adolescent offspring behavior, and transcriptomic profiling of prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens.
Why This Research Matters
Many pregnant women use cannabis specifically to manage stress and anxiety, making the combined exposure scenario highly relevant. The finding that THC plus stress produces additive harm to both maternal behavior and offspring brain development challenges the assumption that cannabis alleviates prenatal stress.
The Bigger Picture
This study is the first to model the real-world scenario of pregnant women using cannabis for stress relief. The finding that THC does not mitigate stress effects and may add to them has direct implications for prenatal counseling.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Mouse model may not fully translate to humans. Single THC dose and stress paradigm tested. Transcriptomic changes do not necessarily predict functional outcomes. Cannot separate direct THC effects from indirect effects through altered maternal behavior.
Questions This Raises
- ?Do the combined effects of THC and stress in human pregnancies mirror these animal findings?
- ?Which specific offspring brain changes are most clinically relevant?
- ?Would CBD or other cannabinoids produce different results?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Prenatal THC + stress produced additive harm: worse than either exposure alone
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary: Well-designed translational mouse model combining THC and stress, but animal results require human validation.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025 (preprint).
- Original Title:
- Concurrent maternal stress and THC exposure during pregnancy alters adolescent behavioral outcomes and corticolimbic molecular programs.
- Published In:
- bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology (2025)
- Authors:
- Olusakin, Jimmy, Dewan, Mahima, Kashyap, Atul, Franco, Daniela, Kumar, Gautam, Lujan, Miguel A, Mark, Katrina S, Cheer, Joseph, Lobo, Mary Kay
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07281
Evidence Hierarchy
Tests effects in animals (usually mice or rats), not humans.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the combined THC + stress finding important?
Many pregnant women use cannabis specifically to cope with stress and anxiety. This study shows that in mice, THC does not buffer stress effects and actually makes outcomes worse when combined, challenging the rationale for using cannabis to manage pregnancy-related stress.
How were male and female offspring affected differently?
Both sexes showed increased anxiety from stress and combined exposures. However, THC alone primarily affected female self-care and social behavior, while brain gene expression changes were sex- and region-specific, suggesting different biological vulnerability by sex.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07281APA
Olusakin, Jimmy; Dewan, Mahima; Kashyap, Atul; Franco, Daniela; Kumar, Gautam; Lujan, Miguel A; Mark, Katrina S; Cheer, Joseph; Lobo, Mary Kay. (2025). Concurrent maternal stress and THC exposure during pregnancy alters adolescent behavioral outcomes and corticolimbic molecular programs.. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.26.661775
MLA
Olusakin, Jimmy, et al. "Concurrent maternal stress and THC exposure during pregnancy alters adolescent behavioral outcomes and corticolimbic molecular programs.." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.26.661775
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Concurrent maternal stress and THC exposure during pregnancy..." RTHC-07281. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/olusakin-2025-concurrent-maternal-stress-and
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.