Cobbers on the Brain – Page 189 – Student Commentary on the Neurological Sciences

Marijuana as a treatment for eating disorders?

Posted on October 1, 2012 by / 11 Comments

There is a great deal of stigmatism about weight in the United States. While there is some media about self-acceptance and building confidence we constantly encounter a barrage of messages (whether intentional or not) through adds, television, magazines, the internet, celebrities that show unrealistic body images. Articles in magazines emphasize quick fix weight loss on the front cover along with celebrities in scant clothing or stories about how someone famous gained 20 pounds (The horror! The horror!). I feel like I see advertisements such as

Every time I’m on the internet. And we do have unrealistic expectations.

	Average U.S. Woman	Barbie Doll	Store Mannequin
Height	5’4’’	6’0’’	6’0’’
Weight	145 lbs.	101 lbs.	N/A
Dress size	11-14	4	6
Bust	36-37’’	39’’	34’’
Waist	29-31’’	19’’	23’’
Hips	40-42’’	33’’	334’’

Sonenklar, Carol. 2011. Anorexia and Bulimia (USA Today Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders. ) Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.
It’s no wonder that rates of eating disorders continue to increase. A little over a year ago one of the girls I babysat for in high school was diagnosed with anorexia. She is 12 years old. This is when eating disorders got real for me.
First, a few factoids about eating disorders

An eating disorder is characterized by abnormal eating patterns that attempt to satisfy a psychological rather than physical need. The three most common disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation, weight loss, an irrational fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Bulima nervosa is characterized by a cycle of compulsive binging followed by purging through various means, such as vomiting, laxative/diuretic abuse, and extreme exercising. Binge eating disorder is the most common disorder and is characterized by frequent periods of compulsive overeating without accompanying purging behaviors.[i]
Nearly 10 million females and 1 million males have a form of anorexia or bulimia in the United States. Millions more are struggling with compulsive eating disorder. Additionally, over 70 million people worldwide struggle with an eating disorder.[ii]
Forty percent of new cases of anorexia are in girls between the ages of 15 and 19.[iii]

Marijuana in the Brain

Marijuana has 2 active chemicals: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol, both of which are linked in the endocannabinoid neurotransmitter system. The endocannabinoid system works backwards from many other neurotransmitters because it releases signals from the post-synaptic neuron to the CB1 and CB2 receptors on the pre-synaptic neuron as shown in the diagram below.

THC has been related through studies to the psychoactive, munchies, addictive qualities of marijuana and in high doses can cause or increase anxiety. There have also been studies that show that endocannabinoids interact with the dopamine system, playing a role in drug taking and seeking behaviors. [iv] Cannabidiol has been related to the therapeutic effects which is why marijuana is used in cancer treatments,pain relief, and has also been used as a treatment for schizophrenia.
Marijuana as a treatment for eating disorders
Marijuana has also been used as a way to help AIDS patients maintain a healthy weight as an effect of their disease they lose appetite and stop eating. This is part of the premise of using marijuana as a way to help gain or lose weight because of it’s link to the reward system and studies have shown that endocannabinoids CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus play a large role in food intake. Obviously, this is a very simplified synopsis of how the endocannabinoid system could be linked in a way that would help with the treatment of eating disorders. There is a lot that is still unknown about the endocannabinoid system and all of the parts of the brain of which it is an integral part. One of the objections that one could make about using marijuana as a medical treatment is that it is not specific enough to the effected brain area. Even if scientists were able to create synthetic products to emulate the positive effects of the drug without the addictive or psychoactive effects, there is currently no way to target specifically the hypothalamus, if that is the only part of the brain that is needed to be targeted with eating disorders. Is there enough known about the diseases or the endocannabinoid system to use it as a treatment? Another part to take into consideration is that a large part of the disease is about body image and perception, and while the treatment may help patients gain weight or change some stimuli of eating to positive, is that going to help with body image?
The legalization of marijuana is a complicated subject and there is a lot that we do not know about how the drug effects out brain. It has been shown to have therapeutic effects, whether or not those effects can help with eating disorder treatment is also very complicated and could use more research.
If you or someone you know have an eating disorder or you would like more information about eating disorders visit http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

[i] Sonenklar, Carol. 2011. Anorexia and Bulimia (USA Today Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders. ) Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.

[ii] Sonenklar, Carol. 2011. Anorexia and Bulimia (USA Today Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders. ) Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.

[iii] Eating Disorders Statistics.” National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Association Disorders. 2012. Accessed: September 29, 2012.

[iv] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15100701

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Queen Victoria Smoked Marijuana… to Relieve Cramps

Posted on October 1, 2012 by / 0 Comment

Marijuana has been at the forefront of news headlines since Proposition 215, which made medical marijuana legal in California, was passed in 1996. However, marijuana has an illustrious history tracing back before the Romans and Greeks. Medical marijuana use finds its origins in China around 2727 BCE. Throughout centuries and generations marijuana mades its way to India, Africa, Europe, and the rest of the world. Even the first settlers of the Jamestown Colony way back in 1619 Virginia grew marijuana. The medicinal properties of marijuana were sought after many individuals. For example, Queen Victoria is prescribed marijuana in order to relieve cramps. Even with its medicinal aspects marijuana was banned in 1937 by the U.S. federal government. Although illegal, marijuana avoided harsh punishment by the Federal Government until Reagan administration in the 1980’s where a war on drugs was proclaimed. During the Reagan administration’s war on drugs an astounding amount of individuals where arrested, one person every 38 seconds. Since then marijuana has become one of the highest sold illegal drugs.

Here’s a short video outlining the history of marijuana, which was produced by Showtime for their hit show Weeds:
http://www.weedist.com/2012/09/a-brief-history-of-weed-according-to-weeds-showtime/

In order for marijuana to stay prevalent throughout history it must possess some positive medical application. Marijuana has been shown to relieve pain, nausea, and vomiting. In addition, marijuana also heightens a person’s senses. This the result of increased neurological activity due to the chemicals which make up marijuana: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. These chemicals play in active role in stimulating the Endocannabinoid system housed within the brain. The Endocannabinoid system is a neurotransmitter system, which means that it responds to certain stimuli and sends a chain of signals throughout the brain to entice a physical reaction. Specifically, the Endocannabinoid system targets emotional balance and cognitive function. However, this system can be impaired if an overabundance of marijuana is taken which can lead to psychological disorders, such schizophrenia.
More research is required into the topic, however, there is a correlation between prolonged marijuana usage and increasing the onset of schizophrenia. Some of the main contributing factors to this correlation is the fact that marijuana use amplifies feelings of anxiety and depression. The cause of these factors comes from interactions between THC and cannabidiol with the Endocannabinoid system which not only affect emotion balance but other areas and neurotransmitters in the brain. It’s like a domino affect one neurotransmitter does not simply react by it self. It sets off a chain reaction through multiple pathways which, in a complex system like the brain, can have a devastating effect on an individual. Perhaps when more research is conducted a definitive answer will be found connecting neurological disorders and marijuana usage.
For further reading refer to this research article explaining in further detail neurological disorders and marijuana:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3186912/
Images Courteously of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_by_Bassano.jpg
http://www.vizworld.com/2009/05/showtimes-history-of-weed/
http://www.psmag.com/health/marijuana-use-hastens-onset-of-schizophrenia-29515/

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The Ambiguous Line

Posted on October 1, 2012 by / 0 Comment

In today’s world of scientific technology and intelligence, where the information we gain on a daily basis increases our human knowledge exponentially, the question is often raised, “Where do we draw the line?” From genetic engineering, to stem cell research, to the development of new pharmaceuticals, we consistently wonder if society is flirting with scientific boundaries we should not cross.
A recent and common debate among American citizens is legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Currently, patients who are prescribed medical marijuana in states where its use is legal, are typically suffering from a terminal illness, have been diagnosed with AIDS (or other similar diseases), or are going through treatment for cancer. This is because marijuana has an inherent ability to suppress pain and vomiting while simultaneously stimulating one’s appetite. But, what are marijuana’s effects in the neuropsychiatric story? The answer is not a simple one.
Surprising to many, the body actually produces an endogenous “THC” (the active, psychotropic, ingredient in cannabis). These endocannabinoids, named anandamide and 2-AG, act on two specific receptors in the brain: CB1 and CB2. These are the same receptors that marijuana operates on when it is taken into the body. The interaction between the endocannabinoids and their corresponding receptors is called the eCB system.
Where eCB’s story becomes complicated for researchers is that it has seemingly opposing effects on the brain depending on the location it is acting on and the amount of anadamide or 2-AG that is stimulating the system. Thus, although evidence shows a strong connection between the deregulation of the eCB system and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety illnesses, researchers have been unsuccessful in developing a technique to target the system for therapeutic effects in patients with these disorders without experiencing numerous side effects.
For example, one area of neuropsychiatric research investigates the effects of endocannabinoids on the eCB system to model its connection to patients with high anxiety or anxiety-related disorders. Researchers found that stimulation of the eCB system in animal models has both anxiolytic as well as anxiogenic effects. This means researchers have found activation of the CB1 and CB2 receptors to suppress anxiousness in some studies while stimulating anxiousness in others. Therefore, as with most pharmaceuticals, the difficulty lies in targeting the drug to a specific area of the body to limit or purge the side effects or experiencing undesired action in the body. Want to make millions? Find a way to focus a drug on its intended destination without affecting any other part of the body.
However, apart from these pharmacological problems is the overall concern society has with prescribing a drug that is used illegally by many for recreational, and not medicinal, purposes. Does extending the terms for which medical marijuana may be prescribed simply increase its availability and likelihood to be abused by users? At what point do we say “No” to pharmaceuticals? Or, is withholding a drug from a patient, primarily because of possible concerns of abuse, morally wrong? After all, Adderall and Codeine are often abused, and yet, we find them in the hands of thousands of patients.
Until the eCB mystery is solved it may be a simpler question to answer. Or maybe the question remains unanswerable for now. But the time will come when scientists resolve the pharmacological questions and target the eCB system for therapeutic purposes and we will have to walk the ambiguous line in determining if and/or how we distribute marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Hot topics

Marijuana- the forbidden medicine?

Posted on September 30, 2012 by / 2 Comments

Whether or not to legalize marijuana for medical purposes has been one of the most controversial topics discussed nationwide. And the society seems to be divided into two groups of people holding different opinions. While some believe the cannabis should be legalized for its medical beneficial capabilities. Others argue that it also has potential to cause other medical as well as social problems, and therefore should be kept illegal.
Within the two groups of people who hold opposite views against each other as mentioned above, there are many scientists who study the cannabis and the endocannabinoid system and conduct various researches on them. In the article “Endocannabinoid system and psychiatry: in search of a neurobiological basis for detrimental and potential therapeutic effects” Dr. Marco and her colleagues focused on the therapeutic effects of the cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which are the two major components of one of the most popular recreational drugs, cannabis, on mood disorders, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. Although, their research successfully yielded promising findings in rodent models, as any other drug, they had also found a correlation between the cannabis usage and higher possibility of triggering the genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. But this only suggests that further researches on this type of topic are needed, and the findings of Dr. Marco and her group opened up the possibility of the application of cannabis, especially THC, CBD, in psychiatry. As more and more studies have been done on the cannabis, this forbidden medicine has become less and less mystic, and hopefully could be used to improve many people’s quality of life.
While we are discussing the application of the cannabis in medicine, I decided to do a little bit of research on the cannabis on the internet. Interestingly, I found out that the usage of cannabis in medicine has been a long tradition in human history before it was used as a recreational drug. It had been recorded in the “Shennong Ben Cao Jing”, which is a Chinese medicine book written around 300BC to 200 AD. And then was widely used as Chinese medicine around the 16^th century.
Growing up in a different country (Taiwan) where illegal drugs are strictly prohibited, it is very surprising to me that how accessible marijuana is here in the United States. Due to this reason, plus the over exaggerations by the media, I used to think that marijuana should never be legalized under any kind of circumstances; but after learning more information about its function in medicine, (such as reducing chronic pain, increasing appetite of chemo patients, even slowing down the growth of cancer cells), and how it could possibly help many people suffering from psychological illnesses, I think I’d have to think on this issue once again. There are many pros and cons of each side, and I believe each of them is very important. Therefore it is necessary to find a balance between them in order to seek the best interest of the entire society.

Health/Uncategorized

A Glimmer of Hope for those with Mental Illness

Posted on September 30, 2012 by / 0 Comment

We have all heard it on the news both sides of the story concerning legalizing marijuana for recreational or just pure medical use, and up until recently I had been on the side that was all for it’s legalization and regulation. Why, you might ask? Well, I saw nothing wrong with it. I saw it as a drug that caused seemingly fewer deaths than alcohol but it’s legality was the exact opposite of alcohol in most of the US. I thought of it as a recreational drug and a pain reliever for those who needed it. Well, I thought about it like that until recently when we read an article about the connection between cannabis and the neurobiology of the brain. The connection that was recently found was that there is increasing evidence saying that cannabis users are at an increased risk for developing many neurological disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, psychotic problems and having the possibility of developing schizophrenia. This is caused by over-stimulation of the receptor in the brain that the main ingredient in marijuana binds to. This brings up another topic. Is the risk of getting schizophrenia or other disorders worth the pleasure you get out of it or the relief of pain that some people use cannabis for? For me, that answer is a very big NO! I can say that with the utmost confidence because I have suffered with Generalized Anxiety Disorder for almost 4 years now and I can say that no amount of pleasure that I would get from using marijuana would be worth the risk of getting any sort of mental disorder.

However, I am not saying we should get rid of any attempt to legalize marijuana because through the discussions in the class and through research and reading the article, I did find a glimmer of hope and potential in marijuana in respect to treatment of neurological and other disorders. There is a component of marijuana that has been shown to have incredible therapeutic potential. This component is called Cannibidiol (referred to as CBD for the rest of the post). CBD is the second most prevalent chemical in marijuana. CBD has been shown to have a hand in pain relieving effects, anti-depressant and anxiety reducing effects and also neuroprotective effects, all without the euphoric effects that smoking marijuana has. Neuroprotective basically means that CBD prevents or slows brain cell loss. Although there is still a lot of research to be done on exactly what CBD does and if there are any adverse effects, it is showing promise in relieving many things such as convulsions, inflammation, anxiety and nausea as well as inhibiting cancer growth. For anyone who is looking for more information concerning cannibidiol…

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol)(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0cqpK5Wag)

We also talked about the thought that as medical advances and discoveries progress, there comes a point where we are taking all these medications to fall into what society has deemed “normal” and whether or not we should stop taking these medications, thus keeping the disorder but preserving who we are. My answer to this thought was that there are some things, for example anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, that needs to be medicated to be able to function on a day to day basis and that there are things that should be done before medication is taken, for example seeing a psychiatrist in the case of mental disorders or exercise in the case of obesity.

Well that is all for this week. Next weeks topic for discussion? Insulin and Alzheimers Disease.

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Can medicinal marijuana be replaced?

Posted on September 30, 2012 by / 0 Comment

There are many distinct mood disorders troubling society today given our increasingly busy and stressful lifestyles. Research over the years has given more and more insight into the brain and how it regulates these disorders, namely those pertaining to anxiety and depression. The system responsible for such processes is the endocannabinoid (eCB) system and more specifically the workings of the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. We are now approaching treatment possibilities utilizing this system in conjunction with a component of cannabis, or marijuana, a commonly known and widely abused psychoactive drug. This component is called cannabidiol and has shown great potential to alleviate anxiety and depression in recent studies.
Our knowledge of this eCB system has proposed treatment ideas for anxiety and depression. It seems that a source of these mood disorders may be the deregulation of this system meaning it is not necessarily functioning properly. To combat this problem, researchers have utilized the ability to use neurotransmitter agonists to raise the functioning of the eCB system and therefore decreasing amounts of anxiety and depression in subjects. Despite any negative effects that marijuana might have it has been shown that it can produce these same results in those showing symptoms of mood disorders. This has been long known but only recently have there been sound research studies to show this is true. As mentioned, though, there are some negative effects that marijuana produces.
A fact not known to many about marijuana is that there is a strong correlation between overuse and symptoms of schizophrenia. Prolonged activation of the eCB with marijuana causes these symptoms in those that are slightly more susceptible to this psychotropic disease. This boils down to genetics as there have been genes that are associated with schizophrenia. This type of side effect of marijuana’s overuse is caused by the main active ingredient, THC. This component is what most opponents of marijuana legalization are concerned about. Cannabidiol, another ingredient can be used for its medicinal properties without having the undesired side effects as it works much like THC.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has the potential to replace marijuana and do away with controversies of medicinal marijuana. THC, the psychotropic component, would no longer be needed and CBD could be extracted and utilized for its medicinal properties. Scientists have shown that CBD plays a role in the eCB system much like THC as it has the ability to alleviate symptoms of depression at low doses. In higher doses it can be used in treating anxiety. This has great potential to come into the drug market after further research is done.

What needs to be done before CBD comes onto the market? Scientists need to first find which strain of the Cannabis sativa plant houses higher concentrations of CBD. There are many factors that affect these concentrations such has growing location, small species variations in the plant, and more simply, what type of growing season it was when grown. Once researchers find the optimal strain then there can be efforts to bio-fortify this strain to produce more CBD. High yield extraction methods can then be developed to separate CBD from the plant at a commercial scale. All of these issues need be addressed before we see CBD in the hands of mood disorder patients.

Community/Health

Cannabidiol…a possible replacement for medical marijuana?

Posted on September 30, 2012 by / 1 Comment

The topic of legalizing medicinal marijuana is a growing conversation in our society today as it is already legal in 17 states across our nation. The article “Endocannabinoid system and psychiatry: in search of a neurobiological basis for detrimental and potential therapeutic effects” looks at how cannabis can be used medically to help aid in depression, anxiety and eating disorders and highlights the main negative effects of cannabis use. Although scientists and psychologists have worked together to determine that cannabis can successfully help with depression, anxiety and eating disorders, is it really the best option for therapy?

While reading this article, the negative effects of cannabis use stuck out to me much more drastically than the positive effects. The article described one side effect of cannabis use as being the development of schizophrenia. Although scientists haven’t directly linked cannabis use to schizophrenia, there is proof that it can induce schizophrenia in users that are genetically predisposed to developing this disease and it works together with other risk factors to speed up the onset of the disorder. This side-effect alone, without even considering the negative psychotropic effects of cannabis that are frowned upon by many, seems serious enough to wonder if cannabis is really a drug that should be used for treating any sort of mood disorder.

Another major piece of the article that stuck out to me while reading focused on the specific piece of cannabis called Cannabidiol (CBD). The writers briefly described the positive effects that CBD can have on treating anxiety and depression and stated that CBD doesn’t have the negative effects that cannabis has. Immediately after reading about CBD, I wondered, could isolating this component of cannabis, CBD, be an alternative drug to medical marijuana?

Cannabidiol is the main non-psychotropic component of cannabis and exhibits many of the same therapeutic effects as marijuana. The other main component of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is responsible for the psychotropic effects that many people think of when they think about marijuana. All cannabis has a different ratio of THC and CBD as each strain of cannabis is different. After noticing that different strains of marijuana were more or less successful in treating depression and anxiety, scientists explored the contents of cannabis and found that the strains with higher amounts of CBD worked much better for treating mood disorders. This finding is responsible for the additional research that has been done to make CBD so popular as scientists look for a new possible drug that will exhibit the same therapeutic effects as marijuana without all of the negative side-effects that marijuana has.

The understanding of Cannabidiol is a very intriguing aspect of cannabis, as it would be great to develop a new way to treat depression and anxiety without having the negative psychotropic effects. This would make it much more socially acceptable for a patient to treat their depression or anxiety when they didn’t have to experience the “high” that is so commonly associated with marijuana. After both human and animal testing, scientists have found a lot of promising evidence that CBD could be the new drug for treating many different disorders and ultimately eventually replace medical use of marijuana as a whole. One of the main effects of CBD that scientists discovered is that with low doses, CBD is alerting and helps reduce depression, while at high doses it actually acts as a sedative and can reduce anxiety. Scientists have also found that CBD can be used in many other medical ways, such as relieving convulsion, inflammation, nausea as well as inhibiting cancer growth.

After reading this article my eyes have been opened to the fact that it is very important that our society finds an alternative therapeutic drug rather than marijuana to help aid in the therapy of common mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. I look forward to following the further research of Cannibidiol that must be done in order for it to become this alternative therapeutic drug that everyone is looking for. After looking at what we know so far about CBD, it has definite potential to be a successful alternative to medical marijuana and even provide therapy in a wider array of patients than marijuana does today.

For more information, click on the link below, What is CBD?
What is CBD?

Health/Hot topics/Uncategorized

Marijuana: Oh the Possibilities

Posted on September 30, 2012 by / 0 Comment

So let’s not beat around the bush here: a significant number of people – not only in America but around the world – have tried or habitually done marijuana sometime in their lives, legally or illegally, for medicinal purposes or as a recreational drug. That being said, you would think that people would be clamoring to educate themselves and others on the risks and benefits associated with its use. I don’t know about the users, but there are plenty of scientists out there aiming to do just that, particularly in regard to the relation of cannabis and neuropsychiatric disorders. There are certainly therapeutic applications, but more research is needed to avoid some unwanted side effects.

Cannabis (marijuana) has two main active ingredients: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). These two compounds interact with the brain via the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, activating ligand-binding cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2). It’s through these two receptors that most of the action happens, whether ultimately beneficial or detrimental. THC is the addictive, psychoactive, and “munchies”-inducing contributor to cannabis that has also been suggested to cause anxiety. CBD is attributed with many therapeutic effects, which includes treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients, inhibiting cancer growth (most notably in breast cancer), and being an antipsychotic for treating schizophrenia. It interacts with the eCB system as an antagonist to the two receptors in low doses, and increases CB1 expression in high doses.

The eCB system has been shown to be extremely influential in neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Its effects, however, are both positive and negative. For example, the CB1 receptor is involved with inducing anxiety when it’s expressed on one type of neuron (glutamate) and relieves anxiety when expressed on another (GABA). You can see why things can get a little messy.

Here’s an overview of the results linking the eCB system with these disorders:

CB1 expressed with GABA relieves anxiety
CB1 expression likely helps avoid depression (deletion enhances depression)
CB2 overexpression relieves anxiety
CB2 likely decreases vulnerability toward depression
Presence of CB2 seemingly reduces the risk of developing schizophrenia
CB1 expressed with glutamate induces anxiety
Prolonged activation of receptors increases the risk of developing schizophrenia

The negative aspects seem to tap into the subtle complexities of the eCB system and neurological signaling in general – pathways are often very convoluted and activation or inhibition often have multiple different effects, influencing many different pathways. One particular pattern I’ve noticed is that dose and frequency of use play a significant part in the ultimate effects due to receptor activation. For example, low doses of cannabis seem to give a calming, anxiety-relieving effect, but high doses actually lead to anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis. Also, it seems that activation of the CB2 receptor is necessary to decrease one’s risk of developing schizophrenia, whereas prolonged activation of the eCB system increases this risk. Most confusing of all, testing for these neuropsychiatric disorders with eCB agonists and antagonists with the same receptor expression gave different results across groups. All of this says one thing to me: we have quite a long way to go to characterize exactly what’s going on with the eCB system and these disorders.
There seems to be a strong basis of hope for cannabis-related drugs in the treatment of many different illnesses. Cannabidiol itself has fantastic applications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and cancer, among many other things, and has been shown to positively affect people with neuropsychiatric disorders, relieving anxiety, acting as an antidepressant, and protecting against psychotic reactions and symptoms. However, cannabis does not look like the answer, due to its adverse effects from THC (anxiety-inducing, addictiveness, etc). There is great potential in the study of cannabis and cannabinoid substances in medicine, but cannabidiol seems to have a lot more promise than cannabis. In either case, before cannabinoids are highly implemented in medicine there should be greater definition of the mechanisms through which they work, so as to define safe dosage and ensure that the pros really outweigh the cons. Like that withdrawal party…

Uncategorized

Cannabis, Depression, and You

Posted on September 30, 2012 by / 2 Comments

Depression is a serious psychological disorder that affects millions of Americans. I am one of those millions. Around the time I entered second grade, a psychologist diagnosed me with depression and put me on medication; Wellbutrin to be specific. Although this drug seemed to do the trick with me essentially spinning my life in a 180-degree turn, it may not work for everyone. Wellbutrin acts upon the body by increasing dopamine concentrations in the brain which in the end helps us feel “happier”. A certain person may not have the same feeling after taking this drug though, so then what do we do? Simply put, we find a different drug that works in a different way. One area of drugs that is getting a lot of attention for treatment of major depression is cannabinoids. Cannabinoids, specifically tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol, are key components to the well-known drug marijuana. These two molecules act upon the endocannabinoid system in our body which is a key regulator in mood function such as anxiety and depression
In the article “Endocannabinoid system and psychiatry: in search of a neurobiological basis for detrimental and potential therapeutic effects” the researchers were looking at this exact topic. After reading through the article, I can communicate some of the main ideas. First, when the endocannabinoid system was activated through cannabis use, subjects were more likely to feel happy and less stressed. This is hardly news to us though as we are all familiar through the media’s interpretation of marijuana as making us laugh and lose all the cares in the world; don’t worry, be happy. Although this is a good thing, other research has shown that with chronic cannabis usage, the rate of depression and anxiety increases. So at this point, there really isn’t an end all answer to this question. Second, as with every drug, there are side effects. With cannabis use, the main side effect (and a nasty one at that) is that if you using cannabis to treat your disorders, you also put yourself at risk of developing schizophrenia with continued use. This side effect has a very small chance of occurring though, and is really only a problem with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. With this side effect, I personally believe that cannabis in the form of marijuana should not be used to cure mood disorders, but if a patient is well aware of the risks and still wants to use it, they should be able to. Personally, I see more potential in researching the two components of cannabis (THC and cannabidiol) more to see if they can help without having to “light one up”.
As stated above, cannabis and the endocannabinoid system have a seemingly promising future in curing these mood disorders we all have come to know. There are still a few kinks to work out, and a lot more research to be done, but if the research proves to be useful, this could be a very promising drug to look at for some people with depression.
For anyone who would like more information on this topic, feel free to visit http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana to learn more about medical marijuana.

Community/Disease/Health/Hot topics

Smoking Marijuana Causes…Schizophrenia?

Posted on September 29, 2012 by / 1 Comment

When you hear marijuana what do you think of? For me, I don’t think much of it other than a waste of money to cause you to feel a little loopy and give you the munchies. Marijuana has many uses however medicinally as it can help manage pain and appetite. Recent studies however, have shown a link between marijuana use and schizophrenia. How can that be? To understand this, we must know a few things about both marijuana and schizophrenia.
What is marijuana?
Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana, is one of the most frequently abused illegal drugs in western culture. The active ingredients in cannabis are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. THC is the compound responsible for the addictive and psychoactive properties of cannabis while cannabidiol is often the compound which is attributed to the medicinal effects. Cannabis is illegal for recreational use in the US but is permitted medicinally in 17 states (including Alaska, California, Michigan, and Montana) plus DC. Cannabis works on the endocannabinoid system in the brain which regulates neurotransmission in brain regions associated with the regulation of pain, emotion, motivation and cognition.
What is schizophrenia?
The term schizophrenia means ‘split mind’. It is a psychotic disorder which is characterized by disturbances in perception, behavior, and communication. There are three types of schizophrenia: paranoid, disorganized and catatonic. A person is classified in a certain category depending on the specific set of symptoms they exhibit. General symptoms include (but are not limited to) hallucinations, delusions, lack of attention, memory impairment, impaired information processing, loss of interest and loss of ability to experience pleasure. Schizophrenia often presents itself in young adulthood but a good percentage of people with the disease report psychotic symptoms starting as early as age 11. Researchers are not sure of the exact causes of schizophrenia but there are many hypotheses about possible contributing causes. The most common hypothesized cause is that there is an imbalance of brain chemicals or other sort of brain abnormality.
So how can marijuana use be linked to schizophrenia?
Well the truth is, A LOT of things have been linked to schizophrenia. Although, as stated earlier, marijuana works to change brain chemistry which is also thought to be a cause of schizophrenia; it is not as if we can say that smoking marijuana CAUSES schizophrenia rather researchers say at this point that cannabis use presents an ‘increased risk’ for developing the disease. However, the list of things which are found in the population of people with schizophrenia as possible ‘risk factors’ is quite extensive and, if you ask me, some of them are just absurd.
Here is a list of some known ‘risk factors’ for the development of schizophrenia:

Occurs twice as often in unmarried/divorced people as in married or widowed populations
Left handed people have significantly higher instances
A significant number of schizophrenics have OCD
People with schizophrenia often have excessive shyness or minor physical/motor-control problems in childhood
Some studies show that a person whose father was older when they were born have greater chance of schizophrenia
A family history of epilepsy increases chance for schizophrenia
10% risk if one immediate family member has disease
40% if both parents or identical twin have disease
Winter/ spring births pose a 5-8% higher possibly of developing schizophrenia because of prevalence of colds/viruses in infancy
People from large families with multiple children in short intervals because of exposure to infection early in infancy
Child born if pregnant mother had exposure to viruses such as rubella, measles, or chickenpox while infant is in the womb have been associate with higher risk

As you can see, not only can use of marijuana be linked to schizophrenia but so can a range of things from infections in early infancy to being left handed.
So, no, smoking marijuana cannot lead to development of schizophrenia. It may however, put you at a higher risk in conjunction with other risk factors for developing the disease.