Yale Center Announces $600K+ In Cannabis Research Investments

The Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (YC-SCAN²) is awarding over $600,000 in grants to 14 Yale School of Medicine researchers to conduct cannabis research. Specifically, the grants will fund investigations into the impact of cannabis and cannabinoids on neurodevelopment and mental health.

YC-SCAN², established in 2023, is managed and directed by Deepak Cyril D’Souza, MD, Vikram Sodhi ’92 Professor of Psychiatry. The department was designed to be a research hub for medicinal cannabis research, and the findings “will be disseminated and used to educate the scientific community, healthcare professionals, and the public,” according to a press release.

“We received a highly competitive set of applications making for a challenging selection process. We are grateful to our reviewers who brought their expertise in basic and clinical sciences in reviewing these applications,” Dr. S’Souza said.

“The projects cover a broad range of topics from the effects of cannabinoids on fetal neurodevelopment and adolescent brain development, the therapeutic potential of beta-caryophyllene for pain, to the impact of cannabis in schizophrenia. The projects are led by investigators at different stages of their careers utilizing several novel approaches. We are optimistic that these projects will advance the science of cannabis and cannabinoids and bring Yale closer to the forefront of cutting-edge research in the area.” — Dr. S’Souza, in a statement

The 14 research projects covered by the grant include:

• Defining the impact of prenatal exposure to cannabinoids on primate brain development
• Deciphering the impact of prenatal exposure to THC on psychiatric disorder risk
• An observational study into oral beta-caryophyllene for the treatment of chronic reflex sympathetic dystrophy pain
• Investigating cognitive mechanisms of perceptual and reward processing in youth with and without cannabis use
• Consequences of developmental cannabinoid exposure for GABAergic circuits in the prefrontal cortex
• Investigating whether the brain states produced by cannabis mimic those of the earliest phases of psychosis
• Computational behavioral analysis and in vivo electrophysiological characterization of the emerging cannabinoid delta-8-THC
• Establishing a preclinical model to investigate mGlu5 receptor mechanisms in cannabis use
• Studying developmental mechanisms for the effects of prenatal cannabinoid exposure on prefrontal circuitry
• Brain-wide pleiotropy investigation of cannabis use vs. cannabis use disorder
• Multimodal evaluation of cannabis use impact on schizophrenia risk
• Studying the impact of perinatal cannabinoid exposure on the histaminergic system and its relevance to tic disorders