Key ingredient staves off marijuana memory loss

[Maria_Vanessa]

I personally thought this article was a good read because could be helpful to cannabis breeders who are working to create new strains for medical users. I'll try to find the study itself and post it so everyone can read.



http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=marijuana-memory

Key ingredient staves off marijuana memory loss

Cannabis composition determines effects on the brain.
Friday, October 1, 2010

By Arran Frood
Smoking cannabis has long been associated with poor short-term memory, but a study now suggests that the strain of cannabis makes all the difference. In a test of short-term memory skills, only users of "skunk"-type strains exhibited impaired recall when intoxicated, whereas people who smoked hashish or herbal cannabis blends performed equally well whether they were stoned or sober.


The findings suggest that an ingredient more plentiful in some types of marijuana than in others may help to reduce the memory loss that some users suffer.


The key difference between the types of cannabis is the ratio of two chemicals found in all strains. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary active ingredient, and is responsible for the effects associated with the classic "high," including euphoria and giddiness but also anxiety and paranoia. The second chemical, cannabidiol, has more calming effects, and brain-imaging studies have shown that it can block the psychosis-inducing effects of THC2. Skunk-type strains of cannabis contain a higher ratio of THC to cannabidiol than do hashish or herbal types.


Valerie Curran, a psychopharmacologist from University College London who led the latest study, says that if habitual users must partake they should be encouraged to use strains with higher levels of cannabidiol, rather than using skunk. She also argues that studying cannabidiol could provide insight into the mechanics of memory formation, and that it may have therapeutic benefits for disorders involving memory deficits. The findings are published October 1 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.


Cannabis use has increased in recent years--almost as many 16-24-year-olds in the United Kingdom have tried as haven't, according to the 2008 report Statistics on Drug Misuse by the National Health Service--and concerns have been raised that increased levels of THC in 'skunk' varieties owing to agressive plant breeding over the past decade are responsible for a rise in the number of young users displaying mild-to-severe cognitive impairment. However, links to a possible higher incidence and earlier onset of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia remain controversial, as do associations with long-term psychological problems. Researchers suspect any effects of the drug on mental health could be a result of an increased ratio of THC to cannabidiol in cannabis, because levels of cannabidiol have not kept pace with rising THC concentrations.


Total recall
To test this hypothesis, Curran and her colleagues traveled to the homes of 134 volunteers, where the subjects got high on their own supply before completing a battery of psychological tests designed to measure anxiety, memory recall and other factors such as verbal fluency when both sober and stoned. The researchers then took a portion of the stash back to their laboratory to test how much THC and cannabidiol it contained.
The subjects were divided into groups of high (samples containing more than 0.75 percent cannabidiol) and low (less than 0.14 percent) cannabidiol exposure, and the data were filtered so that their THC levels were constant. Analysis showed that participants who had smoked cannabis low in cannabidiol were significantly worse at recalling text than they were when not intoxicated. Those who smoked cannabis high in cannabidiol showed no such impairment.


The results suggest that cannabidiol can mitigate THC's interference with memory formation. This is the first study in human to show such effects. One previous study, led by Aaron Ilan, a cognitive neuroscientist at the San Francisco Brain Research Institute in California, failed to find variations in cognitive effects with varying concentrations of cannabidiol. Ilan attributes the positive finding of Curran and her team to their more powerful methodology in analyzing subjects' own smoking preferences. In the United States, government policy dictates that only marijuana provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse can be used for research--and it "is notorious for being low in THC and of poor quality," says Ilan.


Lester Grinspoon, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass., who has studied the effects of marijuana on patients since 1967, says that Curran's study is important. "Cannabis with high cannabidiol levels will make a more appealing option for anti-pain, anti-anxiety and anti-spasm treatments, because they can be delivered without causing disconcerting euphoria," he says.



​

© 2010 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

[Aeronoob]

Ive been waiting years for a study like this to be done, and I have always truely thought that it did have alot to do with the type of strain,chemical ratio that you were smoking. Ive always like the CBN/CBD strains

 

[Beerdo]

Very interesting research. This need's to continue. With all the attention MJ has been getting lately I am sure it will. People want to know exactly what they are dealing with. Hopefully if MJ becomes legal in Cali, more money will flow into research so that we can get a better scientific understanding of it.

 

[Abja Roots]

Agreed. Very interesting.

From what I gather they're saying that strains with high levels of THC lead to the memory less and forgetfulness, while CBD strains show less of this effect. We've been artificially selecting for THC over CBD, so most of the strains that are available to us are high in THC. It will be nice to be able to test for CBD in the progeny of your seed parents.

I always have to remember to disregard the British use of the word skunk which really doesn't mean anything to them except high potency and dank herb. Balance is usually a good thing, so it doesn't surprise me that the same might be true of cannabis.

Thanks for sharing. Much appreciated.

 

[hazy]

Uuhh?.. What were we talking about?

 

[Maria_Vanessa]

The article is saying that in this study, the researchers found that the short term memory loss that is associated with consuming cannabis could be dependant two chemical compounds in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, and that those two compounds are dependant on genetic strains of cannabis.

I just thought I'd share this article with everyone so they can get a glimpse at some of the research that is going on with cannabis, because even though there needs to be more. There are very few replies to this post, but I hope that alot of people have read it.

 

[Cheerful]

I agree that honest scientific research on cannabis is very desireable. Along with this must come some standardization of terminology. The use of the term "skunk" as opposed to "herbal" is very confusing. And another word that seems to be used in odd ways is "euphoria".

Various online dictionaries define Euphoria as:
euphoria /eu·pho·ria/ (u-for´e-ah) an exaggerated feeling of physical and mental well-being.

In the last paragraph of the OP, Lester Grinspoon says "Cannabis with high cannabidiol levels will make a more appealing option for anti-pain, anti-anxiety and anti-spasm treatments, because they can be delivered without causing disconcerting euphoria," he says.

How can Euphoria be Disconcerting???

Apparently Grinspoon, and some others, attach a different meaning to the word.

This has been bugging me a lot recently as I am doing tons of research in Strain Guides and Grow/Smoke reports in hopes of purchasing the right beans! ! !

 

[Mr Celsius]

Ive always like the CBN/CBD strains

Those are?

 

[gumball]

This is very useful information, thank you for posting it Maria Vanessa. I find myself continually saying huh or what in conversations because I'm stoned. But this is not always. I agree with cheerful also. A lot of slang has been deceloped over the years, like getting stupid, which is to simply imply your getting high or stoned. But depending on what your smoking you may actually be getting more focused. I know I have smoke MJ in the past which heightened my focus so the I payed better attention, and thus retained more of what was going on. Perfect daytime or work smoke. And I have also smoked stuff that relaxed the hell out of me, but mid sentence I would get distracted and forget the whole f'in conversation. I hate that, and have thought of quitting MJ just for that reason. This is perfect before bed, or major pain smoke, but your left a little "stupid".

So does anyone following this thread know of any high CBD strains? And what percent would be high CBD? I would think sativas, but I see crimea blue is listed as high CBD from barneys farm, and psicodelicia from I think sensi or serious, or some breeder that starts with S, and I haven't smoked in a month!! I wanted to try both of these before. Do y'all think the rated THC percentage would also have to be lower for less forgetfullness?please post what helps you focus and does not cause the "stupid" high.

Thanks fellow tokers!

 

[el dub]

I have always like dutch dragon and it appears to fit the bill. I believe african genetics in general might be a good place to start.

lw

 

[draco]

This is very useful information, thank you for posting it Maria Vanessa. I find myself continually saying huh or what in conversations because I'm stoned. But this is not always. I agree with cheerful also. A lot of slang has been deceloped over the years, like getting stupid, which is to simply imply your getting high or stoned. But depending on what your smoking you may actually be getting more focused. I know I have smoke MJ in the past which heightened my focus so the I payed better attention, and thus retained more of what was going on. Perfect daytime or work smoke. And I have also smoked stuff that relaxed the hell out of me, but mid sentence I would get distracted and forget the whole f'in conversation. I hate that, and have thought of quitting MJ just for that reason. This is perfect before bed, or major pain smoke, but your left a little "stupid".

So does anyone following this thread know of any high CBD strains? And what percent would be high CBD? I would think sativas, but I see crimea blue is listed as high CBD from barneys farm, and psicodelicia from I think sensi or serious, or some breeder that starts with S, and I haven't smoked in a month!! I wanted to try both of these before. Do y'all think the rated THC percentage would also have to be lower for less forgetfullness?please post what helps you focus and does not cause the "stupid" high.

Thanks fellow tokers!

my understanding is that the cbd level rises with ripeness of the bud; more amber tricomes = higher cbd... so i see some conflict here.

sativa leaning = clearer mind, indica leaning = body stone and a pleasant numbness in the cerebrals. smoking amber tricomes of either will have you sitting... wondering... wondering some more...

 

[captinknots]

my memory is shot! lol im not very happy about it. but i do love me some herb! lol

 

[dramamine]

Thanks for the thread, Maria. It's a very interesting article. Peace!

 

[BowlFinger]

A little late for me at this point.lol

 

[Lav]

Very interesting! Thanks, I did enjoy it.

I felt that this was the scariest part...

...the subjects got high on their own supply ... The researchers then took a portion of the stash back to their laboratory to test...​

 

[gumball]

A little late for me at this point.lol

Its never to late. You won't get smarter, but there are plenty of foods you can introduce. Into your diet that help improve memory functions. Soy, blueberry, watermelon, fish, and several others. I have been eating a lot more of these foods since I found this out.

Very interesting! Thanks, I did enjoy it.

I felt that this was the scariest part...

...the subjects got high on their own supply ... The researchers then took a portion of the stash back to their laboratory to test...​

Yeah, I would be scared to send some of my supply with anyone like that!! And what tests did they do??

 

[@b$+r@c+]

It seems to me that one who smokes a real 'heady'(high thc) variety would only show signs of memory loss because of the many thoughts taking place in a brief period, whereas a variety with a higher cbd value gives the user the calm mind to assess their thoughts, making a much larger 'imprint' on the brain.

I recently put the CDD against a handpicked afghan landrace (aka. Kush) and found the smoke from one of three phenos (so far) to be amazingly hypnotic. Almost as if it induced a fully concious meditation.
I cant wait to hash out my next round!

 

[runningonfumes]

I personally thought this article was a good read because could be helpful to cannabis breeders who are working to create new strains for medical users. I'll try to find the study itself and post it so everyone can read.



http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=marijuana-memory

Great read! Reminds me of this great site I saw recently for all kinds of studies: http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/study.php#index

anyhow, thanks for the post- very informative

 

[juicepuddle]

It seems to me that one who smokes a real 'heady'(high thc) variety would only show signs of memory loss because of the many thoughts taking place in a brief period, whereas a variety with a higher cbd value gives the user the calm mind to assess their thoughts, making a much larger 'imprint' on the brain.

Very good point had to be said thanks ^

I recently put the CDD against a handpicked afghan landrace (aka. Kush) and found the smoke from one of three phenos (so far) to be amazingly hypnotic. Almost as if it induced a fully concious meditation.
I cant wait to hash out my next round!

Fully concious meditation.. sounds AWESOME sign me up

 

[GrinStick]

perchance my opiates would have left me feeling euphoric! what side effects (of cannabis) are worse than those drugs?
Brithish Journal of Psychiatry let subjects use a variety of different herb to assess their detriment to memory? sounds suspicious to me.
and yes, in the UK "skunk" refers to any smoke of quality, not any particular strain.
In my mind, this 'study' recommends using cannabis with higher levels of cbd to thc,
whether or not to abide their conclusions is up to the individual. Many people enjoy higher levels of thc...just sayin'.