Leveraging approximately 10 years of prospective longitudinal data, we examined the effects of adolescent versus young adult cannabis initiation on MRI-assessed cortical thickness development and behavior. Dr. Matthew Albaugh discusses the results of brain development timing and cannabis exposure in this revolutionary multiyear study.
Education
YC-SCAN² will partner with existing training programs within the Yale Community to train fellows and postdocs in cannabis and cannabinoid research under the mentorship of Yale investigators with relevant expertise. YC-SCAN² will also sponsor a regular Seminar on the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids where investigators will from Yale and beyond will be invited to present their ideas.
Alongside increasingly permissive social attitudes and laws, cannabis use has increased, especially among pregnant women. However, little is known about potential adverse outcomes associated with prenatal cannabis exposure. Using data from the ongoing Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (n=11,489), we find that prenatal cannabis use is associated with broad spectrum childhood psychopathology, early cannabis use initiation, and variability in brain, and in particular white matter, structure. Aprils 2025's webinar featuring Dr. Ryan Bogdan discusses findings regarding the ABCD study.
It is now a ‘common wisdom’ that dopamine excess has a role in psychosis. Over the years, many researchers and clinicians have developed a somewhat ‘uncommon wisdom’ that cannabis use increases the risk of psychosis. Perhaps unwisely, 5 years ago we set out to connect these two wisdoms and now find that cannabis and psychosis are systematically linked to each other via dopamine excess. This observation raises several questions about the neurochemical link between cannabis and psychosis.
February 2025’s webinar lecture presented by Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (YC-SCAN2), is the continuation of our monthly webinar series designed to support our center's mission of advancing research, dissemination of information, and education in the field of cannabis and cannabinoid science. Through this series, we aim to invite leaders in the basic, clinical and translational science of cannabis and cannabinoids. We are deeply honored to have Dr. Romina Mizrahi as the February speaker. Dr. Mizrahi uses Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to study the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and addiction, in particular cannabis use.
The Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, introduces its inaugural webinar featuring Dr. Yasmin Hurd as speaker. Dr. Hurd presents her research on the effects of prenatal and adolescent cannabis exposure on brain development, behavior, and long-term health outcomes. This discussion covers topics such as epigenetic changes, potential treatments for opioid use disorder, and the need for further research in this field.