4 things you can do to cheer up, according to neuroscience
For everyone, there are times when a dark cloud just seems to be following you around. You may not even even know why. While we don’t mean to minimize the value of medication for those who experience this on a daily basis, UCLA neuroscientist Alex Korb, author of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse […]
The Influence of Recency of Use on fMRI Response During Spatial Working Memory in Adolescent Marijuana Users
This originally appeared at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21053763/ Abstract- Some neurocognitive recovery occurs within a month of abstinence from heavy marijuana use, yet functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed altered activation among recent and abstinent adult users. We compared fMRl response during a spatial working memory (SWM) task between adolescent marijuana users with brief and sustained durations […]
Neurocognitive consequences of marihuana—a comparison with pre-drug performance
This originally appeared at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15734274/ Abstract In determining the effects of regular marihuana use on neurocognition, abilities within specific relevant cognitive domains prior to regular drug use have not been available. The present study examined effects of current and past regular use of marihuana in subjects for whom predrug performance had been ascertained in a […]
An Evidence Based Review of Acute and Long-Term Effects of Cannabis Use on Executive Cognitive Functions
This originally appeared at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037578/#R45 Abstract Cannabis use has been shown to impair cognitive functions on a number of levels—from basic motor coordination to more complex executive function tasks, such as the ability to plan, organize, solve problems, make decisions, remember, and control emotions and behavior. These deficits differ in severity depending on the quantity, […]
Long-term behavioral and biochemical effects of an ultra-low dose of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) neuroprotection and ERK signaling
This article originally appeared at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00221-012-3186-5 Abstract We have previously reported that a singleinjection of an ultra-low dose of delta-9-tetrahydrocanna-binol (THC; the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana)protected the brain from pentylenentetrazole (PTZ)-induced cognitive deficits when applied 1–7 days before or1–3 days after the insult. In the present study we expandedthe protective profile of THC by showing […]
Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects
This originally appeared at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253627/ Abstract The hippocampal dentate gyrus in the adult mammalian brain contains neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) capable of generating new neurons, i.e., neurogenesis. Most drugs of abuse examined to date decrease adult hippocampal neurogenesis, but the effects of cannabis (marijuana or cannabinoids) on hippocampal neurogenesis remain unknown. This study aimed at […]
Overview of the Endocannabinoid system.
Medicinal cannabis is routinely recommended for a wide variety of conditions. For example, in California, patients can qualify for cannabis medicine if they have AIDS, anorexia, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, migraines, muscle spasms, seizures, nausea, or other chronic symptoms. This begs the question – how can cannabis be recommended for so many different […]
Daily Marijuana Use Is Not Associated with Brain Morphometric Measures in Adolescents or Adults
Barbara J. Weiland, Rachel E. Thayer, Brendan E. Depue, Amithrupa Sabbineni, Angela D. Bryan and Kent E. Hutchison Journal of Neuroscience 28 January 2015, 35 (4) 1505-1512; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2946-14.2015 Abstract Recent research has suggested that marijuana use is associated with volumetric and shape differences in subcortical structures, including the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, in a […]
Effect of marijuana use on outcomes in traumatic brain injury
Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Several studies have demonstrated neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids. The objective of this study was to establish a relationship between the presence of a positive toxicology screen for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and mortality after TBI. A 3-year retrospective review of registry data at a Level […]
No, marijuana use doesn’t lower your IQ
A 2012 Duke University study made international headlines when it purported to find a link between heavy marijuana use and IQ decline among teenagers. Other researchers questioned the findings almost immediately: Columbia University’s Carl Hart noted the very small sample of heavy users (38) in the study, leading him to question how generalizable the results […]
