
Suppression of thalamocortical projection by chronic administration of D9-THC (cannabinoid, active ingredient of marijuana). Photomicrograph of cerebral cortex from transgenic mice having GFP in thalamocortical axons at postnatal day 7 (P7).
A group of researchers led by Associate Professor KIMURA Fumitaka at the Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, clarified that multiple mechanisms were involved in the formation of neuronal circuits in the cerebral cortex. This group also clarified that a substance similar to cannabinoid, an active substance of cannabis, played an important role in the formation of neuronal circuits, and that the intake of cannabis pruned even necessary synapses, destroying neuronal circuits, a world first.