10 Apr Columbia Study Finds Prenatal Cannabis Exposure Linked to Long Lasting Brain Alterations in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Payabvash
Sam (Seyedmehdi) Payabvash, MD
Associate Professor of Radiology
Columbia University Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prenatal marijuana use is on the rise, largely due to increasing legalization and shifting public perception of its safety during pregnancy. Although prior studies have linked prenatal marijuana exposure to adverse neonatal and behavioral outcomes, the long-term neurodevelopmental effects, especially as assessed through advanced neuroimaging techniques, remain underexplored.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: In a large cross-sectional sample from 22 centers participating the ABCD study which enrolled over twelve thousand children, we found that children prenatally exposed to marijuana (mean age ~9.9 years) exhibited significant alterations in white matter microstructure and cortical surface morphology.
Specifically:
Reduced white matter integrity (lower fractional anisotropy and neurite density; higher mean and radial diffusivity), especially in corticostriate pathways.
Reduced cortical surface area in the left parahippocampal gyrus and right postcentral gyrus. These findings suggest a potential impact on goal-directed behaviors, emotional processing, sensory integration, and cognitive development.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Readers should understand that prenatal marijuana exposure is not benign and may result in measurable and lasting structural changes in the developing brain, even into late childhood. These alterations involve neural circuits essential for motivation, emotional regulation, cognitive control, and sensory processing, potentially increasing the risk for attention deficits, psychiatric disorders, and socio-emotional impairments later in life. Importantly, the effects remain significant even after adjusting for confounding factors such as socioeconomic status, BMI, and mental health history.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?
- Longitudinal Studies – Follow this population over time to assess whether structural brain alterations are predictive of behavioral, cognitive, or emotional outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood.
- Polysubstance Exposure Analysis – Future studies should account for co-exposures to alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, which may interact or confound marijuana’s effects.
- Explore Mechanisms – Investigate underlying biological mechanisms, such as dopaminergic disruptions or epigenetic modifications, to better understand how marijuana affects neurodevelopment.
- Early Interventions – Identify early biomarkers (e.g., FA or ND changes) that may guide interventions to support at-risk children.
Disclosures: The study uses data from the ABCD Study, a large, NIH-supported national cohort, enhancing its generalizability.
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Last Updated on April 10, 2025 by Marie Benz MD FAAD
