Effects of Marijuana on the Brain: Endocannabinoid System marijuana-brain effects

Effects of Marijuana on the Brain: Endocannabinoid System

Marijuana, also known as cannabis among other names, is a preparation of the Cannabis Sativa plant, intended for recreational and medicinal uses.

Marijuana can be used, smoked, snorted or mixed with food. The main psychoactive chemical is delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol or THC. There are a wide variety of pages where you can see cannabis seeds.

The cannabis plant preparation also contains at least 65 other components that are chemically related to THC, called cannabinoids.

THC is chemically similar to a class of substances naturally found in our nervous system called endocannabinoids, of which anandamide is the most widely known.

Endocannabinoids are part of a newly discovered system called the Endocannabinoid System or SEC.

The human brain contains billions of neurons that communicate through chemical messages, or neurotransmitters. When a neuron is stimulated enough, a neurotransmitter is released in the synaptic cleft that is a space between the neurons.

The neurotransmitter then binds to its receptor in a neighboring neuron, generating a signal in it and transmitting the information to that neuron. Neural communication is essential for all brain functions.

The endocannabinoid system acts as a modulator of this neurotransmission. When the postsynaptic neuron is activated, the endocannabinoids are produced, released, and travel back to the presynaptic neuron where they activate the cannabinoid receptors.

In doing so, they control what happens next when the presynaptic cell is stimulated again. The overall effect is a decrease in the release of neurotransmitters such as GABA or glutamate. In other words, the SEC acts as a brake by decreasing neuronal activities and preventing neurons from firing excessively.

Functions of the Endocannabinoid System

Pain modulation: cannabinoids suppress the processing of the pain signal, producing relief effects.
Stress and anxiety reduction: While response to stressful stimuli is necessary for the body to react appropriately to a stress factor, chronic stress can be harmful. The endocannabinoid system plays a role in the habituation of the body's response to repeated exposure and helps our body learn to modulate stress.
Mood regulation: The endocannabinoid system promotes good sensations by inducing the release of dopamine into the brain's reward system. This explains the euphoria or high experienced by marijuana users.
The mode of action of THC is, however, different from that of other drugs: it induces the release of dopamine indirectly by removing the inhibitory action of GABA in dopaminergic neurons.

The endocannabinoid system is also involved in many other mental and bodily activities, including memory and learning, appetite and sleep patterns, immune functions, and fertility.

Endocannabinoids are short-acting transmission substances. They are synthesized on demand and their use is quickly terminated by specific enzymes.

The amount of endocannabinoid messengers is closely regulated according to the needs of the body. This regulation is essential for a modulator that acts to fine tune brain activities.

Marijuana users consume a much higher amount of THC. THC is also more stable than endocannabinoids and can remain in the body for a longer period of time. THC overwhelms the endocannabinoid system, disrupting normal brain functions.

Because cannabinoid receptors are present in many parts of the brain and body, the effects of THC are very broad.

It can slow a person's reaction time, which may alter driving or athletic skills, disturb short-term memory and higher mental processes, which may affect learning abilities and judgment.

High doses of THC can also lead to reverse effects. For example, while small doses of cannabinoids appear to reduce stress, anxiety, and panic, high doses may promote a greater sense of stress and fear.

Using marijuana as a youth can also damage the lungs to a degree similar to smoking cigarettes.

Rats exposed to THC before birth, shortly after birth, or during early childhood show significant difficulties with certain learning and memory tasks later in life.

While the recreational use of marijuana is certainly harmful, the Cannabis plant can be a valuable source of medication.

Currently, the two main cannabinoids of the marijuana plant are of medical interest with THC and canabidiol, or CBD. These chemicals are used to increase appetite and reduce nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.

They may also be useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures, and possibly even treating autoimmune diseases and cancers.