Cobbers on the Brain

Over half of the states in the United States have legalized marijuana for medical uses, however so far, the FDA has only approved the treatment by medical marijuana for two specific types of epilepsy and some effects of chemotherapy. There is a lack of research on the effects of marijuana for medical uses as the FDA classifies marijuana as an abusive drug, therefore making it extremely dangerous to be a prescribed drug. This causes researchers to go through extensive testing and licensing just to be given permission to research medical marijuana and its effects.

The endocannabinoid system produces chemicals called cannabinoids and is a system that works to maintain homeostasis in the nervous system. Endocannabinoids are inhibitory and are made when needed to reduce a reaction and counteract overstimulation. The endocannabinoid system is responsible for maintaining:

• reproduction and fertility
• digestion and appetite
• sleep
• motor control
• pain
• pleasure
• immune function
• memory
• mood
• temperature 

The two most common cannabinoids are THC and cannabidiol. Both bind to the endocannabinoid receptors, which are CB1 and CB2. These receptors are moderated by GPCRs and when activated, are responsible for the symptoms caused by cannabinoids. The receptors were created for the endocannabinoid system, but they can also be activated by the chemicals in cannabis. 

CB1:

• located in brain and nervous system, as well as some other specific organs
• bind with THC and endocannabinoids
• aid in pain relief

CB2: 

• located in immune system
• bind CBD and specific endocannabinoids, such as 2-AG
• aid with appetite, inflammation, and immunity

The two most common endocannabinoids are anandamide and 2-AG. Endocannabinoids act like the body’s natural THC, with a much shorter and less extreme effect. THC is the psychoactive component of marijuana and is known for causing many changes in the brain, including:

• Increased blood flow in areas of cognition, emotion, and awareness
• Decreased blood flow in areas of sensory
• Altered brain activity in areas of reward, emotion, coordination, and speech

THC is responsible for the “high” feeling of marijuana. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is legal in all states and is naturally occurring. It is used to relieve symptoms of many diseases, including pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and chronic conditions. 

As medical marijuana contains both THC and CBD, there are varying effects that this treatment could have on an individual. In some cases, this could cause pain relief, a reduction in inflammation, or a feeling of relaxation and calmness. However, in other situations, it could cause panic, paranoia, or a worsening of symptoms. Similar to other prescription drugs, the reactions to the drug would have to be closely monitored. Some negative side effects of medical marijuana include:

• depression
• dizziness
• hallucinations
• low blood pressure
• judgement and coordination issues
• mental function deficits

However, the main conflict with the legalization of medical marijuana is the claim of it being a gateway drug. As the levels of THC increase, the addictive levels increase and cause an individual to become dependent on the drug for the symptom relief and “high” feeling. Another main issue is the regulation of medical marijuana and how it is administered to patients. As medical marijuana does not go through a pharmacy, it is argued that is could be easily abused and the marijuana will be different in every place it is received based on THC and CBD concentrations. 

Despite the negative effects and controversy behind medical marijuana, it could potentially have positive effects and aid in the treatment of many diseases. Some of these include:

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• appetite loss/eating disorders
• cancer
• chronic diseases
• epilepsy
• mental health disorders
• pain
• nausea
• muscle spasms
• glaucoma

The fight for the legalization of medical marijuana in all states and for many types of conditions will continue, however it seems that there may need to be more regulations and research done in order to truly understand the effects of medical marijuana, how to prescribe it and regulate its use, and in what ways medical marijuana can be beneficial for the population. 

https://www.greenrelief.ca/blog/cannabinoid-receptors/

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq

“You look up and see stars. The sun shining down on you seems extra bright. You’re not really sure what is going on, so you look around for clues around you. You look at the scoreboard, ‘Okay I’m at school.’ You look down at your body and see your padded body, ‘Okay I was playing football.’ You look at the trainer, ‘What the heck just happened?’ She answers, ‘You got hit in the head pretty hard, you might have a concussion.’ That is the first thing that makes sense because your head feels like it is splitting in two.”

This is a real story from an individual who suffered a concussion during a football game. He told me about the confusion he felt, how dizzy he was, and how blinding the light was to look at right after. There are many stories that are just like this one told by many athletes around the world, but not only athletes suffer concussions. The Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI) says that in the United States there are around 2-4 million concussions every year.

But what is a concussion?

A concussion is described as a biomechanical force to the brain. This causes a potassium efflux, and a sodium and calcium influx. This increase of calcium can lead to neurofilaments collapsing and axons losing their structural integrity leading to axonal dysfunction. There is also glutamate release at times when it is not meant to release, causing excitotoxicity inside of cells. With everything going wacky, ATP is required to bring everything back to normal. This calls for an increased consumption of glucose to provide ATP. This causes your energy stores of glucose to be low after a concussion and you can feel very exhausted from small activities.

Why Don’t We Eliminate Concussions?

http://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2017%2F1026%2Fr280294_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg

Joe Flacco sustained a concussion on this hit from Kiko Alonso in a football game last year.

Since concussions are so prevalent and they can cause lasting and worsening effects of the brain and people’s lives, why don’t we just eliminate them? I believe that the main reason for this is: people care so much about their activities and the possibility of suffering a brain injury is worth it to participate in something they love doing. Just look at sports, according to BIRI 10% of all college football players and 20% of all high school players sustain brain injuries, 87% of professional boxers have sustained a brain injury, 5% of soccer players have sustained brain injuries, and an athlete who sustains a concussion is 4-6 times more likely to sustain a second concussion. In my personal opinion, we need to start looking at concussions more as a serious injury and I believe we have as a society. We need to get more information out there to those who are at risk for suffering concussions and for those who have already suffered concussions. We should be taught that the sport could end up costing you a normal life and that if you need to give it up, you should. Sometimes you need to sacrifice things you love for other things you love, whether that is not playing your sport after sustaining an injury; or a healthy brain. Sometimes love hurts.

Sources:

http://www.protectthebrain.org/Brain-Injury-Research/What-is-a-Concussion-.aspx

https://moodle.cord.edu/pluginfile.php/708078/mod_resource/content/3/2014%20The_New_Neurometabolic_Cascade_of_Concussion.3.pdf

What is a Concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic injury that is characterized by a negative effect in brain function. Affects are normally temporary, but can sometimes be long-term, especially in the case of multiple concussions. Symptoms can include headaches, loss of concentration and memory, and loss of balance and coordination. Concussions are usually caused by blows to the head, especially in people who play contact sports such as football and boxing, but they can also be caused by violent shaking to the head or upper body.

The brain is protected by cerebrospinal fluid in the skull from minor bumps and sudden movements. A heavy blow to the head, neck, or upper body can result in the brain sliding back and forth against the inner walls of the skull. With that being said, it’s easy to see that a concussion can be caused by a sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head, especially in a car accident. If severe enough, internal bleeding can occur inside the skull, which can be fatal.

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries are incredibly unpredictable, so it’s important to take steps that are neuroprotective for your brain. One of the most overlooked, but most helpful ways to improve brain health after a traumatic brain injury is healing digestion through improving nutrition.

Brain Injuries Affect Your Gut?

Remarkably, after a traumatic brain injury, there is an increase in intestinal permeability. The exact mechanism for increased intestinal permeability after traumatic brain injury is unknown, but hyperglycemia is found to degrade intestinal membrane proteins, and hyperglycemia is characteristic of brain injury.

What is “Leaky Gut?”

Increased intestinal permeability is commonly referred to as “leaky gut.” In a healthy gut, food is completely broken down into the simplest components of glucose and individual amino acids, which can then cross the gut lining into the bloodstream. In a leaky gut, undigested food particles can cross the gut lining into the bloodstream.

These particles are recognized as foreign in the bloodstream by antibodies, which then trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines, which cause inflammation throughout the body, and are also small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier, causing inflammation in the brain. When there is inflammation in the brain, communication with the gut is reduced, and the gut becomes more permeable, and the cycle repeats itself.

Feed Your Brain

To heal a leaky gut, the simplest way is to go on an elimination diet. This is accomplished by eliminating all grains, dairy, legumes, nightshades, and all processed sugar and foods. After doing this for several weeks, some of these foods can be added in every once in a while.

Another way to feed the brain after a traumatic brain injury is to eat a high fat, low carb diet. Glucose metabolism in the brain is depressed after a brain injury, and the brain can’t effectively use all of the glucose introduced from the diet. To combat this, a diet of mostly fats and low carbs can be used. When the body doesn’t have access to glucose, it converts fats to ketone bodies for fuel. This alternative fuel source releases less free radicals in the body, and is more neuroprotective.

Traumatic brain injuries are always a scary, unexpected experience. Because there is little you can do to prevent an injury from occurring, it is important to know how to feed your brain in the event one does happen.

In recent years and with developing research, the severity of concussions has started to become more identified and recognized. Concussions are caused by some bio-mechanical force to the head. This could be due to a collision in sports, a car accident, a fall or any circumstance where the heat experiences a great force. Most people are familiar with the initial symptoms associated with concussions like headaches, memory issues and sensitivity to light; however, there are chemical changes happening in the brain to cause these symptoms and can explain long term changes that happen to one’s brain after a concussion.

What’s your brain doing?

These are the main events that occur in the brain after incurring a concussion.

1. The membranes of the neurons stretch as a result of the force or jolt to the head. This causes increased potassium efflux and calcium influx as well as glutamate release. The excess of glutamate release impairs learning and memory because the excitatory inhibitory balance is off and these processes are glutamate dependent.
2. There is an increased activity of ATPase (an enzyme that cleaves ATP to ADP) which causes more ATP to be consumed. This leads the body to go into hyperglycolysis in order to restore the energy that was used by trying to restore the ion balance.
3. Calcium becomes sequestered in the mitochondria which leads to impairment of glucose metabolism. This is associated with deficits in spatial learning and behavioral impairments.
4. Due to these conditions, there is more anaerobic metabolism occurring which leads to a build-up of lactate which could eventually lead to acidosis.

Long term risks

Effects of a concussion can last much longer than just a few weeks after the event occurs. It is possible to have symptoms that last years or even throughout one’s lifetime. It has been shown that having multiple concussions and not allowing enough recovery time can increase symptoms of depression in athletes. Additionally, the prevalence of anxiety was in collegiate athletes with multiple concussions. There is also an increased risk of development of Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and ALS with history of a traumatic brain injury.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative disease commonly found in those with a history of repetitive brain trauma. This does not necessarily mean having multiple concussions but rather hundreds of small, hard hits on the head that impact the brain over the timeframe of multiple years. CTE consists of a build-up of tau proteins that spreads throughout the brain and kill the brain cells which results in the degeneration. Symptoms usually affect one’s mood and behavior and can include aggression, depression and paranoia. When the disease is more advanced, symptoms can include difficulty with memory and thinking, confusion, dementia and loss of good judgement.

Recovery

It is extremely important that enough recovery time is allowed before returning to regular daily activities and sports after experiencing a concussion. The treatment of concussions depends on the severity of the symptoms that are experienced. In general, rest is the best way for one’s brain to recover from a concussion. This entails resting both physically and mentally which may include eliminating screens, reading, working and driving for a certain amount of time.

It is crucial to the brain’s health to allow sufficient time to recover, because repeat concussion events can cause cumulative effects on the brain. This is often difficult for many people to understand as concussions are an injury that is not visible to outsiders. When looking at someone, we may assume they seem able to play or return to their daily activities when in reality they are still suffering from symptoms that are not visible. These injuries to the brain are very serious and should be treated as such even though there may not be any physical impairment to someone’s body.