Prenatal exposure to teh CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptro agonist WIN 55,212-2 alters migration of early-born glutamatergic neurons and GABAergic interneurons in the rat cerebral cortex

During corticogenesis, the endocannabinoid system plays an important role in neural progenitor proliferation, specification, neuronal migration, and differentiation. Children prenatally exposed to marijuana have a significant impairment of higher cognitive functions. We showed in the present study that Prenatal WIN55,212-2 exposure alters radial and tangential migration and induces a delay in glutamatergic neurons differentiation in the embryonic rat cerebral cortex. The present results contribute to the knowledge on neurobiological substrates that determine neurobehavioral changes that will persist through post-natal life.