The Department of Biological Sciences welcomes 

Dr. Sara Westbrook

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology, Wayne State University

Functional, Structural, and Behavioral Impacts of Adolescent Cannabis Vapor Exposure in Adult Male and Female Rats

Increasing legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes combined with the rising popularity of cannabis vaping, especially among adolescents, presents a significant public health concern. Adolescence is a time of considerable maturation of the brain and cognition and thus, may be a window that is particularly sensitive to long-lasting negative consequences of vaporized cannabis use by altering normal developmental trajectories. My work has revealed long-lasting impairments in flexible decision making and increased in adulthood following vaporized cannabis use in adolescence. My recent research has identified microglia, perineuronal nets, and parvalbumin interneurons as likely contributing to this dysfunction, making them promising biological targets for strategies aimed at alleviating cannabis-induced cognitive dysfunction. These findings suggest that vaporized cannabis during adolescence can alter developmental trajectories of the brain and behavior, leading to long-lasting cognitive impairments into adulthood.

Hosted by Dr. Eleni Gourgou

This seminar will be streamed live. For a zoom link, please contact Dr. Eleni Gourgou at elenigourgou@wayne.edu.