Concurrent maternal stress and THC exposure alters maternal regulation and downstream adolescent corticolimbic programs

Abstract Cannabis use during pregnancy is increasing, often to alleviate stress and anxiety, yet the impact of prenatal cannabis exposure alone, or in combination with psychosocial stress on maternal regulation and downstream offspring neurodevelopment remains unclear. Here, we developed a translational rodent model combining prenatal Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure with chronic psychosocial stress using the maternal witness defeat stress (MWDS) paradigm. Pregnant C57BL/6 mice were exposed to MWDS from gestational day (GD) 3–12 and received daily subcutaneous THC (2 mg/kg) or