INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF PRENATAL CANNABIS EXPOSURE ON FETAL BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND INTERGENERATIONAL OUTCOMES USING AGENT-BASED MODELING

Cannabis use has risen globally, driven in part by its legalization for medicinal and recreational purposes in various regions. Alarmingly, approximately 10% of women report cannabis use before pregnancy, and 4.9% during pregnancy. Despite its perceived safety, emerging evidence from clinical and preclinical studies highlights significant adverse effects associated with prenatal cannabis exposure, including reduced birth weight, heightened susceptibility to anxiety and depression, and increased drug-seeking behaviors later in life. Using the agent-based computer simulation program COBWEB, we modeled the long-term and intergenerational consequences of prenatal cannabis exposure. Our model begins with a typical healthy fetal brain. Cannabinoid exposure is simulated as the downregulation of critical gene networks, represented by diseased agents disrupting previously healthy gene interactions, thereby decreasing DRD2 mRNA expression. This approach allows us to visualize and predict the progressive effects of chronic cannabinoid exposure on neural function and behavior across successive generations. Our findings demonstrate the models capacity to simulate and accurately predict the long-term outcomes of prenatal cannabis exposure, offering new insights into the intergenerational effects of chronic cannabis use and targets of new treatments. Future work will focus on validating the model with empirical data and leveraging it to design and test novel therapeutic interventions aimed at mitigating these long-term effects.