Marijuana Proliferates Brain Cells and Boosts Mood
Back when I was in medical school (the late 1970s) the standard teaching was that we were born with a fixed number of brain cells and that the number of brain cells would then decline as we lived our lives. Over the past several years however, exciting research from several institutions including Yale have discovered that in fact the human brain retains the ability to grow new neurons (neurogenesis) throughout our entire lifetimes.
Factors known to enhance the neurogenesis, specifically in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory function, include the important brain fat DHA, caloric restriction, and mental as well as physical exercise. New research adds marijuana to the list of factors that can actually lead to the growth of new brain cells.
In a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Xia Zhang and colleagues from the University of Saskatchewan demonstrated that a potent and synthetic cannabinoid not only promotes neurogenesis, but also showed anti-anxiety and antidepressant-like effects. Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects (Read Report ).
The researchers suggest that there is a positive correlation between increased adult neurogenesis and changes in behavior following chronic cannabinoid treatment. These results provide additional information about the effects of cannabinoids in the brain, and how these chemicals affect brain processing.
Comments
February 13th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Shall we call marijuana the new “brain sustain”. (: I know there are a lot of people out there happy about this research!
February 13th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Well, this information is curious, but knowing that marijuana use is illegal and frowned upon in most circles, what benefit is it to, say,….me??
February 14th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Can marijuana help vision loss due to stroke? Hemianopsia
February 15th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
weed rules
I always knew I was getting smarter by the joint…….
February 15th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
this is awesome!! people will start to come around
February 16th, 2007 at 11:45 am
The intention of this posting is again to raise awareness of the concept of neurogenesis – the brain’s ability to grow new neurons and not meant to give credence to the term “mind expanding” with reference to marijuana. There are profound health risks associated with smoking marijuana. I do find it interesting however that tobacco remains perfectly legal in the United States, yet is assciated with close to half a million deaths. Here is a quote issued by the American Medical Association just yesterday:
“Every year, 440,000 Americans die from diseases caused by tobacco use, which kills more Americans than heroin, PCP, cocaine, alcohol and every other drug combined. Tobacco is responsible for more than $75 billion in health care costs and $92 billion in productivity losses each year. Tobacco addiction usually begins in childhood or adolescence. Each day, 2,000 kids become addicted smokers and one-third will die prematurely as a result. Some of the provisions in this legislation would stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children; restrict tobacco marketing, especially to children; ban fruit and candy flavorings in cigarettes; and require more informative health warnings. The AMA urges Congress to protect the public health of Americans by passing legislation to authorize effective FDA regulation of tobacco products.”AMA (Comm) AMA applauds legislation to give FDA authority over tobacco products
September 19th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
does anyone know if there are CR induced sirtuins in marijuana?
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