Neuroscientists at the IU Gill Center for Biomolecular Science received more than $2 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse in April to study the impact of cannabis use during adolescence, as well as potential treatments for adverse effects, according to an IU news article.
Gill Center Director Hui-Chen Lu said in the article that cannabis strains are being bred for higher concentrations of THC, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.
Ken Mackie, a chair of the Gill Center and an IU psychology professor, said in the article that heavy use of cannabis with high THC, especially between the ages of 12 and 14, can increase the risk of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders from two-fold to five-fold.
Lu and Mackie will also be studying CBD, a compound in cannabis that is federally legal and often used therapeutically. According to previous IU research, CBD may protect from THC's negative effects. Since increased THC levels lead to decreased CBD levels, researchers are interested in whether or not CBD is harmful on its own and its role in protecting adverse effects of THC.
Lu and Mackie plan to study genetically diverse mice to represent human diversity. Breaking away from past studies, they will use both male and female mice to study sex-dependent differences.
The project began in May of this year and is projected to end in 2027.
