Insights into the Neural Risks and Benefits of Marijuana Use
Article:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181106150418.htm
Summary:
As marijuana continues to become a very relevant (and legal) substance in our nation, the benefits and also possible negative impacts that it can have on development, memory, and other neural processes in humans are being studied. This particular study tested prenatal rats to see the impacts that THC would have on their brains and development. Prenatal exposure of THC to rats was found to have a negative impact on their brain metabolites and neural circuits as they developed into adolescents. The rats were more sensitive to stress and had impaired learning and memory development after the marijuana treatment. Additionally, a specific protein that is responsible for the inhibitory and excitatory activity in the decision-making and self-control part of the brain was disrupted by the chemicals in the marijuana. Another negative impact that was found through this study was the alteration of the metabolic rate of the rats after exposure to marijuana over a long period of time. However, the marijuana treatment given to adolescent rats seemed to have increased levels of brain activity in the neural pathways involved in habit formation.
A positive impact that marijuana had on mice with Alzheimer's disease was that their memory improved after the exposure to the THC and there was a reduction in neuronal loss, this could potentially lead to leads for treatment methods for humans with Alzheimer's disease. Overall, this study revealed some potential positive impacts that THC treatments could have on people with Alzheimer's disease as well as improvements in habit formation. However, being exposed to this substance was shown to have significant negative impacts on basic neural activity involved with memory, self-control, and other important cognitive processes.
Connection:
The implications that the aforementioned research has on the content we have learned in class most closely related to the material we learned regarding neural pathways and processes in the brain. The significance of effective neurons communicating with each other strongly impacts the way humans process information. If memory and learning are impaired by marijuana, then the neurotransmitters responsible for either retrieving information or retaining learned information will be affected by the chemical substances that are in the terminals of these structures due to the chemicals in the THC. Information will not be able to be passed to other neurotransmitters, which can be assumed to have a significant impact on cognitive processes. We know that neurotransmitters are crucially impacted by the chemicals they are exposed to, so by interacting with chemicals in marijuana, these neurotransmitters will only be negatively impacted/harmed, which in turn affects important neural pathways in the brain. However, perhaps continuing to study the effects of THC on Alzheimer's disease can change the way doctors treat and care for these patients. A reduction in neuronal loss for these patients through the exposure of THC may be linked to specific parts of the brain that affect memory. It is important that scientists continue to focus on brain areas that affect memory (cerebellum, cortical areas, etc.) in order to see the potential positive impacts that chemicals from THC can have on this cognitive process.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181106150418.htm
Summary:
As marijuana continues to become a very relevant (and legal) substance in our nation, the benefits and also possible negative impacts that it can have on development, memory, and other neural processes in humans are being studied. This particular study tested prenatal rats to see the impacts that THC would have on their brains and development. Prenatal exposure of THC to rats was found to have a negative impact on their brain metabolites and neural circuits as they developed into adolescents. The rats were more sensitive to stress and had impaired learning and memory development after the marijuana treatment. Additionally, a specific protein that is responsible for the inhibitory and excitatory activity in the decision-making and self-control part of the brain was disrupted by the chemicals in the marijuana. Another negative impact that was found through this study was the alteration of the metabolic rate of the rats after exposure to marijuana over a long period of time. However, the marijuana treatment given to adolescent rats seemed to have increased levels of brain activity in the neural pathways involved in habit formation.
A positive impact that marijuana had on mice with Alzheimer's disease was that their memory improved after the exposure to the THC and there was a reduction in neuronal loss, this could potentially lead to leads for treatment methods for humans with Alzheimer's disease. Overall, this study revealed some potential positive impacts that THC treatments could have on people with Alzheimer's disease as well as improvements in habit formation. However, being exposed to this substance was shown to have significant negative impacts on basic neural activity involved with memory, self-control, and other important cognitive processes.
Connection:
The implications that the aforementioned research has on the content we have learned in class most closely related to the material we learned regarding neural pathways and processes in the brain. The significance of effective neurons communicating with each other strongly impacts the way humans process information. If memory and learning are impaired by marijuana, then the neurotransmitters responsible for either retrieving information or retaining learned information will be affected by the chemical substances that are in the terminals of these structures due to the chemicals in the THC. Information will not be able to be passed to other neurotransmitters, which can be assumed to have a significant impact on cognitive processes. We know that neurotransmitters are crucially impacted by the chemicals they are exposed to, so by interacting with chemicals in marijuana, these neurotransmitters will only be negatively impacted/harmed, which in turn affects important neural pathways in the brain. However, perhaps continuing to study the effects of THC on Alzheimer's disease can change the way doctors treat and care for these patients. A reduction in neuronal loss for these patients through the exposure of THC may be linked to specific parts of the brain that affect memory. It is important that scientists continue to focus on brain areas that affect memory (cerebellum, cortical areas, etc.) in order to see the potential positive impacts that chemicals from THC can have on this cognitive process.
This study is interesting because it notes that the rats were sensitive to stress. This can be of great use because THC may have a way to combat too much cortisol or over stress. It can also serve to have more research done to see if it is similar to that of oxytocin. Because of its effects these findings can be used to treat diseases like Alzheimer's before they even begin. Similarly, it can be used to help treat different stress related diseases like depression and anxiety where stress is at play. This evidence can also point many studies in the direction of treatments for people who currently have diseases like Alzheimer's and people who may not have it but are more prone to it than others.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to compare the effects that the marijuana treatment had on adolescent rats vs more matured rats. Despite the fact that the mature rats had Alzheimer's, they benefited cognitively whereas the adolescent rats had damage in the brain as a result. This is similar to the effects that alcohol has on adolescents vs adults with fully developed brains. Adults can still experience adverse side effects from over-consumption of alcohol, but in small increments it may have beneficial effects. Another interesting observation from this article was that in addition to some brain functioning damage in adolescent rats, they still saw an improvement in habit forming with exposure to THC.
ReplyDeleteThe information in this article contains implications for medical use of marijuana. It seems that medicinal marijuana should not be used for pregnant women, as it could affect the prenatal development of the child and potentially lead to anxiety issues later in life. I would be curious to know if Cannabis oil would have similar effects and if either has been deemed safe for pregnant women to use.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned above, marijuana is becoming legal in more and more states and readily available to many individuals. The legalization of marijuana has been a controversial debate for sometime due to the negative impacts it can have on someone. It would be interesting for future studies to look at who could benefit from marijuana, and who would not experience positive effects of it. Like many drugs, there are positives and negatives to marijuana. The research on marijuana's link to Alzheimer's is interesting because it shows that for some people, those who have Alzheimer's, marijuana can have a huge positive impact on them. It is important for people to consult with a doctor before using any drug including marijuana to discuss potential risks.
ReplyDeleteThis article is beneficial for the public to know of the positive and negatives that marijuana can have based on the age of a species. Prenatal mice are still developing so their brains are more sensitive to the harmful effects of marijuana. In my infant and child development course, weed would be considered a teratogen for pregnant women because it causes a malfunction to an embryo. However, in aged mice with Alzheimer's, marijuana proved to be beneficial to their memory. I think it depends on age and the development of the brain on whether THC can affect it negatively or have no harmful effect at all. I believe that this article if helpful in determining the importance that marijuana can have on certain neurocognitive disorders as we tie in the study of mice to humans.
ReplyDeleteBrandi Rosenberger: I appreciate the way in which you laid out both the pros and cons of marijuana use. As the stigma against it continues in our country and abroad, it is important that we all recognize all of the different sides and aspects of the arguments for and against it's use. I was particularly interested in the effect that it had on mice that were older in age. If that same treatment were to be used for adults, then we would see a significant reduction in Alzheimer's in the elderly.
ReplyDeleteThis article is interesting because it says that marijuana has no affect and actually improves the memory for older adults but not for younger ones. It makes sense because marijuana affects ones memory and for a child who isn't fully developed a substance hijacking the neurotransmitters that they need to build can be very detrimental. But as we have learned in class about our memory pathway all parts needs to properly functioning so we can build our memory properly. THC has positive effects on older adults maybe because it helps them focus more. And my that I mean when the brain is impaired by THC information isn't being past from the neurotransmitters. So that older person may be able to concentre on the present because their minds aren't wondering off.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Marcus
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