We use a combination of animal behavioral, physiology, and molecular imaging approaches to study the developmental impact and therapeutic efficacy of cannabis.
Passive exposure techniques: We use passive exposure chambers to systematically and reliably expose mice to cannabis vapor or combusted cannabis flower. This method closely mimics the vaporizer or combustion methods used by humans to consume cannabis.
Animal behavioral assays: We employ a variety of behavioral assays to measure anxiety, depression, social behavior, and learning & memory.
Slice-electrophysiology: We conduct in vitro slice-electrophysiology using whole cell patch-clamp techniques. These tools enable us to record neuronal communication patterns and assess how they’re influenced by cannabinoid exposure. We can also gain mechanistic insight to how cannabinoids are influencing brain function.
Calcium imaging: We employ fluorescence microscopy in living brain tissue to measure the effects of cannabinoid exposure on neuronal calcium dynamics. Altered calcium dynamics are a common feature of numerous disorders, and this technique provides us a window to identifying disease features and identifying therapeutic efficacy.
Mass spectrometry: We capture two-dimensional mass spectrometry data using MALDI-TOF to identify the impacts of cannabinoids on endocannabinoid levels across different brain regions.
Western Blot protein analysis: We use Western Blot analysis to measure changes in various protein levels, including brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in response to cannabinoid intervention.
