Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.10.20.465160

The Effects of Prenatal Nicotine and THC E-Cigarette Exposure on Motor Development in Rats

Hussain, S.·Breit, K. R.·Thomas, J. D.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

In the United States, nicotine and cannabis are the most common licit and illicit drugs used among pregnant women. Importantly, nicotine and cannabis are now being combined for consumption via e-cigarettes, an increasingly popular route of administration. Both nicotine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, cross the placenta barrier. However, the consequences of prenatal cannabis use are not well understood, and less is known about potential combination effects when consumed with nicotine, especially via e-cigarettes. The present study used a rodent model to examine how prenatal e-cigarette exposure to nicotine, THC, and the combination impacts motor development among offspring. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to nicotine (36 mg/mL), THC (100 mg/mL), the combination, or vehicle via e-cigarette inhalation from gestational days (GD) 5-20. One sex pair per litter was tested on an early sensorimotor development task (postnatal days [PD] 12-20) and a parallel bar motor coordination task (PD 30-32). Combined prenatal exposure to nicotine and THC delayed sensorimotor development, even though neither drug produced impairments on their own. In contrast, prenatal exposure to either nicotine or THC impaired motor coordination, whereas combined exposure exacerbated these effects, particularly among females. These data illustrate that prenatal exposure to either nicotine or THC may alter motor development, and that the combination may produce more severe effects. These findings have important implications for pregnant women as we better understand the teratogenic effects of these drugs consumed via e-cigarettes.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

animal behavior and cognitionPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Hussain, S., Breit, K. R., Thomas, J. D.. 2021-10-20. The Effects of Prenatal Nicotine and THC E-Cigarette Exposure on Motor Development in Rats. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.20.465160

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Development of the Highly Sensitive Horse questionnaire to assess horses' sensory processing sensitivity

It is well established that individuals vary in how they respond to situations, but might they also perceive their environment differently? Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a multidimensional trait describing individual variation in the perception and response to sensory, emotional, and social stimuli. While extensively studied in humans, its presence in animals remains underexplored. We investigated whether horses might exhibit a comparable trait and developed the Highly Sensitive Horse questionnaire to assess equine SPS. A 104-item questionnaire was developed and refined using data from an online survey of 121 horses. The remaining 45 items were evaluated in an independent survey of 561 horses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified a robust two-factor, 12-item structure reflecting dimensions similar to the human SPS dimensions of: Overstimulation, describing a tendency to become overwhelmed by intense or prolonged stimuli, and Sensitivity to subtleties, describing heightened perception of subtle environmental changes. The scale showed high internal consistency, excellent intra-rater and moderate inter-rater reliability. Although eSPS was associated with established behavioural traits, including fearfulness, it also explained unique behavioural variation beyond these traits. These findings suggest that horses differ in how they perceive their environment, providing a foundation to better understand equine behaviour, and opening new avenues for comparative sensory-processing research.

animal behavior and cognition↗
bioRxiv2026

Behavioral divergence across replicated predation regimes is species-specific in two sympatric poeciliid fishes

Predation is a potent driver of behavioral divergence across prey populations, yet whether shared predation regimes generate similar responses in coexisting prey species remains unclear. Species differences in reproductive and foraging traits may alter vulnerability to predators, generating species-specific responses. We compared behavior and cognition of two poeciliid fishes (Gambusia affinis and Poecilia latipinna) that differ in body size, the presence of male ornamentation, and mating tactics. We sampled both species across replicate high- and low-predation regimes and measured exploration, shyness, boldness, social motivation, and detour solve latency (N = 509). Multivariate behavior and cognition differed between predation regimes, and the magnitude of divergence varied with species but not body size. Consistent with the multivariate pattern, the more conspicuous P. latipinna exhibited higher boldness and overall lower exploration under high-predation, while high- and low-predation populations of G. affinis did not differ. These findings suggest either that the more conspicuous species experiences greater predation risk or that the less conspicuous species reduces its predation risk through alternative phenotypic responses. More broadly, species differences in reproductive phenotypes associated with sexual selection may help explain why shared predation regimes generate variable patterns of behavioral divergence across taxa.

animal behavior and cognition↗
bioRxiv2026

Capturing the rhythm: methodological choices shape inference from circadian activity data

Abstract 1. Statistical tools and analytical decisions for analysing animal activity data are often limited and poorly justified, particularly with respect to model choice, sampling design and temporal aggregation. These shortcomings can constrain our ability to draw accurate and biologically meaningful inferences about behaviour. 2. We interrogated 24 h activity data taken from individual males and females derived from five Drosophila melanogaster populations to generate a general framework for collecting and analysing activity data that systematically compares common model classes, continuous verses fragmented sampling strategies, and alternative temporal aggregation choices (time-bin sizes). 3. Our analyses identified generalised additive mixed models (GAMMs) applied to high-frequency continuous data with small-moderate bin sizes (1-5 minutes) as providing the most robust and interpretable inference for our complex, high-frequency activity data. 4. However, our interrogation of the data set confirmed that analytical and sampling decisions need to be tailored to the study species, the timing of activities and the nature of the behaviour of interest. Accordingly, polynomial and cosinor generalised linear models, increased but biologically targeted snapshot sampling, and bin sizes smaller than one hour yielded adequate analyses with similar biological conclusions when appropriately matched to the system. 5. Our approach provides an accessible decision-making framework for activity analyses that allows researchers across behavioural, ecological and evolutionary studies to justify and optimise choices about data collection and modelling. Such an approach improves the biological relevance of inference and supporting the use of modern tracking and analytical technologies.

animal behavior and cognition↗