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Date of Award
Winter 2025
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department or Program Affiliation
Psychology
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Kaplan, Joshua Steven
Second Advisor
Grimm, Jeffrey W. (Behavioral scientist)
Third Advisor
Jantzen, Kelly J.
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) encompasses a variety of negative life events and circumstances that have persistent effects on physical and mental health in adulthood. Inaccessible and ineffective interventions make managing these symptoms a challenge, indicating the need for a different pharmacological approach with a novel pharmacodynamic. Cannabidiol (CBD), the prominent non-intoxicating component of Cannabis Sativa L., has shown therapeutic potential in addressing many of the pathologies associated with ELS, including anxiety, depression, elevated inflammation, and poor synaptic health. The addition of other compounds produced by the cannabis plant, including terpenes, is hypothesized to synergistically enhance the therapeutic benefits of CDB. In this study, I investigated the rescue potential of CBD and β-caryophyllene (BCP), a cannabis-derived terpene, on brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein involved in synaptic support, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), an inflammatory marker, in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. Mice underwent 3 hours of maternal separation (MS) for 16 days, followed by 15 days of exposure to one of four intervention conditions (CBD, BCP, CBD + BCP, or Vehicle), administered through voluntary consumption. Mice who underwent MS followed by exposure to both CBD and BCP showed elevated BDNF and TNF-α signaling in the PFC, but not the hippocampus. In partial support of my hypothesis, the combination of CBD and BCP rescued the effects MS had on synaptic support through elevated BDNF signaling, but did not rescue the neuroinflammatory effects of MS, evidenced by elevated levels of TNF-α. These results suggest a region-dependent rescue effect of CBD and BCP on BDNF signaling, providing support for its use in addressing some, but not all effects of ELS. Additionally, these results contribute to the growing body of research evaluating the effectiveness and safety profile of CBD-based therapy on the developing brain.
Type
Text
Keywords
Cannabidiol, Beta-caryophyllene, early life stress, brain development
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1506075164
Subject – LCSH
Cannabinoids--Therapeutic use; Sesquiterpenes--Therapeutic use; Brain--Diseases--Treatment
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
masters theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
McGillis, Taylor M., "The Rescue Potential of Cannabidiol and β-Caryophyllene Against the Molecular Changes Induced by Early Life Stress in Mice" (2025). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1351.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1351
