Regulation of Neural Connectivity and Oscillations by Cannabinoids: A Review.

Lavanco G.; Castelli V.; Brancato A.; Plescia F.; Marsicano G.; Cannizzaro C.; Bellocchio L. · Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2026

**Background & Methods** This is a mechanistic review synthesizing current literature on cannabinoid-endocannabinoid system (ECS) interactions with neural oscillations. The analysis is organized along a temporal framework examining acute effects, chronic adaptations, developmental vulnerability, and aging-related dysfunction across cognitive domains and clinical conditions. **Key Findings** • Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) modulates brain oscillations through inhibitory circuit modulation, synaptic plasticity regulation, and long-range connectivity coordination, with effects varying based on exposure timing (acute, chronic, developmental, or age-related). • The endocannabinoid system exhibits temporal-dependent effects: acute CB1R activation produces direct oscillatory changes, chronic exposure generates persistent alterations outlasting drug exposure, and prenatal/adolescent exposure disrupts normal oscillatory circuit maturation during critical developmental windows. • Mechanistic understanding of ECS-oscillation interactions has translational relevance for targeted cannabinoid-based therapeutics in cognitive and psychiatric conditions, though significant knowledge gaps remain regarding cell-type-specific CB1R functions and links between oscillatory dysregulation and specific psychiatric symptoms. **Dosage & Administration** Not reported. This review does not evaluate specific cannabinoid doses or administration routes, focusing instead on mechanistic processes. **Safety & Adverse Effects** Not reported. The review does not systematically characterize adverse effects. However, the text identifies developmental vulnerability as a concern, indicating that cannabinoid exposure during prenatal and adolescent periods carries risk of disrupting normal oscillatory circuit maturation. **Evidence Quality** This is a narrative literature review with moderate evidence quality. Limitations include reliance on synthesized existing literature rather than original data, absence of meta-analytic approaches, and acknowledged knowledge gaps regarding cell-type-specific CB1R mechanisms. The temporal framework provides useful organization but may not capture complex interactions between time-dependent and condition-specific variables. The authors identify incomplete characterization of mechanistic links between oscillatory dysregulation and psychiatric symptoms as a critical limitation affecting translational application. The review's strength lies in comprehensive synthesis of mechanistic understanding, though it cannot establish definitive causal relationships or comparative efficacy across conditions.

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