Smoke marijuana...get smarter
 

Marijuana might cause new cell growth in the brain - from New Scientist.

A synthetic chemical similar to the active ingredient in marijuana makes new cells grow in rat brains. What is more, in rats this cell growth appears to be linked with reducing anxiety and depression. The results suggest that marijuana, or its derivatives, could actually be good for the brain.

In mammals, new nerve cells are constantly being produced in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is associated with learning, memory, anxiety and depression. Other recreational drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine and cocaine, have been shown to suppress this new growth. Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, and colleagues decided to see what effects a synthetic cannabinoid called HU210 had on rats' brains.

They found that giving rats high doses of HU210 twice a day for 10 days increased the rate of nerve cell formation, or neurogenesis, in the hippocampus by about 40%.

A previous study showed that the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) also increases new cell growth, and the results indicated that it was this cell growth that caused Prozac’s anti-anxiety effect. Zhang wondered whether this was also the case for the cannabinoid, and so he tested the rats for behavioural changes.

When the rats who had received the cannabinoid were placed under stress, they showed fewer signs of anxiety and depression than rats who had not had the treatment. When neurogenesis was halted in these rats using X-rays, this effect disappeared, indicating that the new cell growth might be responsible for the behavioural changes.

In another study, Barry Jacobs, a neuroscientist at Princeton University, gave mice the natural cannabinoid found in marijuana, THC (D9-tetrahydrocannabinol)). But he says he detected no neurogenesis, no matter what dose he gave or the length of time he gave it for. He will present his results at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington DC in November.

Jacobs says it could be that HU210 and THC do not have the same effect on cell growth. It could also be the case that cannabinoids behave differently in different rodent species - which leaves open the question of how they behave in humans.

Zhang says more research is needed before it is clear whether cannabinoids could some day be used to treat depression in humans.

Journal reference: Journal of Clinical Investigation (DOI:10.1172/JCI25509)

i smoke all the time and i'm super brainy!!

whats this thread about again?

well you ALL know that I have been saying this shit for years, not to mention that herb therapy will soon become the popular cure for cancer and MS. do your homework people, cannabis is not just for getting stoned anymore.

Praise Jah!

Rastafari, Selassie I

ha ha ha ha ha ha....

I don't think it helps people get smarter, maybe healthier but not smarter, people who are dumb will always remain dumb.

funny science, cause and effect are quite hard to determine

sure, lower anxiety will lead to improved learning and memory, but you can achieve the same with, say, meditation, and exercise, and a good diet.

now if someone can explain to me why potheads don't shower, we could try some experiments.

Kegmama is probably the person best placed to comment on this, seeing as her cannabis use is medicinal. Although I do sometimes get the impression that she enjoys her medicine quite a bit ;)

very interesting subject to me ,
and ive love to get in there and dig around .
weed creates insane anxiety in me for days after smoking , even if i have not smoked in months .
and i want to know why there have been such extreme findings one way or the other .

About Time! See its good for you!
Bring on medical weed in the UK! I have enough aches and pains to easily qualify for some of the good stuff.

Great now I have an excuse for using it.

Hey, I shower.

I think it's pretty obvious that weed can help with depression.

Stoner Girls are cute! Yet another good reason to smoke weed!

If getting smarter is equivalent to spending all day sitting on the couch watching lame mtv reality shows and playing grand theft auto, then yes, smoking excess amounts of weed definitely makes you smarter.

i was about to answer otherwise, but now that you think about it, all the stoners i have known are just dumb on their own, but for others, it does seem like they use marijuana as an excuse to act dumb

im extremely intellegent tonight thats why im switching off pc probably and watching series 5 of family guy before bed!!!!

I am so doing this for my Biology current event :D
Thanks <3

i don't know. i was a depressive for a long time and weed didn't help me at all. it just enrusted my depressive outlook even more, in the form of philosophical cynicism and hopelessness. psychotherapy, on the other hand, had great results for me once i was able to find the right shrink. a little zoloft and a little paxil while working out my issues and then i was home free.

I am of the opinion that psychotherapy is kind of like religion.
That is, it works if you believe in it.