Motor neuron development in zebrafish is altered by brief (5-hr) exposures to THC (∆-tetrahydrocannabinol) or CBD (cannabidiol) during gastrulation.

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illicit recreational drugs and is widely used for medicinal purposes. The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is ∆-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆-THC), whereas the major non-psychoactive ingredient is cannabidiol (CBD). Here, we exposed zebrafish embryos to ∆-THC or CBD for 5 hours during the critical stage of development known as gastrulation. Embryos were allowed to develop normally and were examined at 2 and 5 days post fertilization. THC and CBD treated embryos exhibited reduced heart rates, axial malformations and shorter trunks. Cannabinoid treatment altered synaptic activity at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), and fluorescent labelling of primary and secondary motor neurons indicated a change in branching patterns and a reduction in the number of axonal branches in the trunk musculature. Furthermore, there were alterations in the α-bungarotoxin labelling of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at NMJs. Locomotion studies show that larvae exposed to THC or CBD during gastrulation exhibited drastic reductions in the number of C-start escape responses to sound stimuli, but not to touch stimuli. Together these findings indicate that zebrafish embryos exposed to ∆-THC or CBD during the brief but critical period of gastrulation exhibited alterations in heart rate, motor neuronal morphology, synaptic activity at the NMJ and locomotor responses to sound.