Marijuana

[Bernard]

Discovery of novel nerve cell modulator offers potential for mood disorders, epilepsy treatments

Study shows link between gut protein and brain’s natural marijuana-like compounds

Irvine, Calif., August 5, 2007

The discovery of a novel molecular switch that powerfully modulates nerve cell activity offers the potential for new mood disorder and epilepsy treatments, University of California, Irvine researchers report.

The researchers looked at the role of the natural substance cholecystokinin (CCK) in modulating communication between cells in the brain. CCK, originally isolated from the digestive tract, is one of the most abundant small proteins, or peptides, in the brain, and it is linked to psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.

The study appears as an Advanced Online Publication in Nature Neuroscience.

Using sophisticated electrophysiological measurements, the UC Irvine team showed that CCK functions in the brain as an extremely specific switch with a highly unusual, dual action. On the one hand, CCK enhances the synthesis and release of natural marijuana-like (endocannabinoid) substances from a particular class of nerve cells known to modulate neuronal excitability in brain circuits critical for cognition and mood. On the other hand, CCK robustly increases electrical activity in a different class of nerve cells that play critical roles in learning and memory.

“These results reveal a new mechanism for CCK to regulate nerve cell activity in a highly specific manner,” said Csaba Foldy, postdoctoral researcher in anatomy and neurobiology and lead author of the study.

The study looked at the hippocampus, the region of the brain involved in learning, memory and emotion. Damage or alterations to the hippocampus can cause cognitive disorders, epilepsy, and mental illness.

“By linking CCK actions to endocannabinoids, the study provides novel possibilities for the future development of therapies for a number of neurological diseases,” said Ivan Soltesz, professor and chair of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and senior author of the study. “Cannabinoid compounds are interesting because they act through special receptors on nerve cells to modulate these cells’ behavior.”

“This discovery offers the potential for new drug therapies because the link between CCK and cannabinoids can now be further investigated to determine how its modulation by either pharmacological or genetic means alters excitability in the hippocampus,” he added.

In addition to Foldy and Soltesz, UC Irvine graduate student Soo Yeun Lee and postdoctoral fellows Janos Szabadics and Axel Neu also participated in the research. This study was sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, the George E. Hewitt Foundation for Medical Research, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Neu is currently at the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Today@UCI - Discovery of novel nerve cell modulator offers potential for mood disorders, epilepsy treatments

[LauraSeabrook]

Golly, I know you have problems with it not being legal in the USA. It's not legal in Australia either, but in most states it's also been decriminalised, so that all a user gets is a fine, not incarceration and a criminal record.

I'm afraid I'm over-sensitive/allergic to the stuff, myself. It brings me out in a sweat, gives me a headache, and then I pass out.

[Bernard]

I hear you Laura, I can't stand breathing it second hand and I don't smoke anything first hand.

SANTA FE, N.M. --Gov. Bill Richardson ordered the state Health Department on Friday to resume planning of a medical marijuana program despite the agency's worries about possible federal prosecution.

However, the governor stopped short of committing to implement a state-licensed production and distribution system for the drug if the potential for federal prosecution remains unchanged.

....

Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said a decision would be made later whether to implement the production and distribution system if federal prosecution remained possible.

Gallegos said the administration was pursuing possible legal options to allow the state to provide patients with access to medical marijuana, but declined to say what.

The new state law allows the use of marijuana for pain or other symptoms of debilitating illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, HIV-AIDS and certain spinal cord injuries.

New Mexico is the 12th state to legalize marijuana for certain medical uses, but it's the only one calling for state-licensed production and distribution of the drug.

Also Friday, Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate, sent a letter to President Bush urging the federal government to allow states like New Mexico to implement medical marijuana programs without fear of federal prosecution.

Such as exception would require Congress to approve legislation changing the law, Gallegos said.

Last month, the U.S. House rejected a proposal - on a 165-262 vote - that would have blocked the Justice Department from taking action against state medical marijuana programs, including New Mexico's.

Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House drug policy office, said it's up to federal prosecutors and the Justice Department to decide what drug cases to prosecute.

"The federal government doesn't spend time prosecuting low-level marijuana possession cases. It's drug traffickers who go to jail and it's drug traffickers who get prosecuted," said Riley. "There is a charade going on here with people who are interested in drug legalization using genuinely sick people as pawns to get sympathy to get their agenda through."

N.M. resumes planning medical marijuana

[Birdbomb]

This is a video of a grand mal. The lady in the video stopped all her anti-epileptic drug's and began using medical mj and had DRAMATIC results.

****WARNING*****
Graphic Epileptic Seizure Footage

[brain]

Oh it's not legal, but there's folks out
there with Epilepsy using it anyway.

[Bernard]

The bit at the end of the video where she is struggling to get up and about was strange to see. Stacy never pops up like that after her seizures. All she ever wants to do is just roll over and sleep.

[angel]

I don't have any research or anything like that to back up my statement but based on my own opinion only ~ Since my seizures are 95% under control with my AED's, my side affects are massive. Believe it or not, Marijuana totally makes the side affects go away.

No more mood swings, more aware of my surroundings, much better co-ordination and dexterity and gait ( that's hard to believe eh) to name a few.
Randy

What about all the bad side effects from smoking pot? Higher THC levels and what if someone get their hand on some pot that has been laced with something...

my son of 17 years started smoking pot he had mood swings SO bad it wasn't even funny from anger to depression took him a while to get aback to normal about 4 or 5 months after helping him quit smoking pot

kids who have e read these forums i feel that talking about smoking pot helping anyone is wrong..... this lady i worked with at a pizza parlor where i live is an avid pot smoker I could careless what she did!!
we supervised teens tho,

she sounded like a lets smoke pot commercial after I told her to stop talking about it to the kids like it was some kinda great thing... she offered to take me out back lol I agreed that we should go out back... told her that after we are through I'm going to have to have to call 911 to help her out!

she falls all the time "stumbles around" stuck her hand in a high powered cheese grater cut off the tip of her finger"she was trying to poke the cheese through because the cheese grater was to slow " still she kept talking to the kids about using drugs" so every time she would say something stupid to the kids I'd say see this is your brain throw a pizza in the oven show the kids the melted cheese on the pizza and this the melted cheese is her brains on drugs they would laugh..... kids listen to adults...... lets not advertise drugs like this on the forum... I'm happy it helps you but it might make some people children & Teens really ill.......

[Birdbomb]

Angel I am not advertizing drugs. Marijuana has been show to reduce seizure activity. Those who have LEGITIMATE medical prescriptions to marijuana are not smoking it to get high.

I went to an Epilepsy Conference a few years ago. Most of the esteemed neuros/surgeons/and epileptologist's came from Stanford University. The only side effect they said about mj....

jailtime

They know that it is helpful to many cases of epilepsy, but the current drug laws are a problem. Medical cannabis should be allowed tto anyone it can benifit with restrictions.

Teens will look for any excuse for drug use if they are into drugs. It is our job as parents to educate our children about drug usage. Randy explained HIS experiance as a relief from his epilepsy symptoms, not as an advocate for drug abuse.

I have toyed with the idea of marijuana as of late. I am on chemo medication and this stuff makes me very sick for a few days after taking it. I know that mj will lesson the side effects and that is the ONLY relief I am seeking. I don't want to get high, I don't even want to smoke the shit, but the way this medication makes me sick and knowing that there is a simple relief from the symptoms makes it more palatable.

Nowhere did Randy say "yeah man, I got so frigging high! This is good stuff" He said

Believe it or not, Marijuana totally makes the side affects go away.

No more mood swings, more aware of my surroundings, much better co-ordination and dexterity and gait ( that's hard to believe eh) to name a few.

Claiming that as an advocacy for drug abuse is a big jump.

[Birdbomb]

This book is excellent reading is covers more than the use of mj.

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do

[brain]

The bit at the end of the video where she is struggling to get up and about was strange to see. Stacy never pops up like that after her seizures. All she ever wants to do is just roll over and sleep.

I've been reported to be like that after a T/C,
almost in a startled mode, but the Nurses and
Doctors had told me that I lapsed into a complex partial
after the T/C.

So the way I saw the video: She lapsed into
T/C then went into complex partial briefly. Maybe that's
why you didn't recognize it.

I showed that video to my tenant; and he
said I was almost the same thing last year
(2006), except my complex partial lasted a little bit longer
and then it happened again T/C and complex partial in the
ER with another complex partial again - hence back-to-back
seizures as it was documented, not just by the
ER Doctors but also my neurologist's Partner who was
there.

[Bernard]

my son of 17 years started smoking pot he had mood swings SO bad it wasn't even funny from anger to depression took him a while to get aback to normal about 4 or 5 months after helping him quit smoking pot

kids who have e read these forums i feel that talking about smoking pot helping anyone is wrong.....

I have a brother who smoked marijuana recreationally and exhibited the same moodiness any time he was in withdrawals (he tried to quit many times before succeeding). He doesn't smoke it any more. It only took him about 10 years to figure out it was hindering his ability to achieve anything in life.

I understand your disdain for talking about marijuana in a light that might be seen as encouraging, but the fact is that a significant (IMO) number of people have reported that it is successful in controlling seizures and so I think it is something that should be considered - in full cognizance of the potential adverse events which I have listed on the marijuana page of the chart:

Effects on the Brain
...
The short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research findings for long-term marijuana abuse indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine. Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.

Effects on the Heart

One study has indicated that an abuser's risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana. The researchers suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana's effects on blood pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.

Effects on the Lungs

A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers. Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.

Even infrequent abuse can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways. Smoking marijuana possibly increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.

Marijuana abuse also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form—levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may be more harmful to the lungs than smoking tobacco.

Other Health Effects

Some of marijuana's adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs the immune system's ability to fight disease. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies, mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors.

Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavior

Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances have been associated with chronic marijuana use. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills. Moreover, research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on memory and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.

Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high school, compared with their nonsmoking peers. A study of 129 college students found that, among those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the 30 days prior to being surveyed, critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after the students had not taken the drug for at least 24 hours. These "heavy" marijuana abusers had more trouble sustaining and shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using information than did the study participants who had abused marijuana no more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time.

More recently, the same researchers showed that the ability of a group of long-term heavy marijuana abusers to recall words from a list remained impaired for a week after quitting, but returned to normal within 4 weeks. Thus, some cognitive abilities may be restored in individuals who quit smoking marijuana, even after long-term heavy use.

Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to have problems on the job. Several studies associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover. A study among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75-percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use. In another study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including cognitive abilities, career status, social life, and physical and mental health.

Effects of Exposure During Pregnancy

Research has shown that some babies born to women who abused marijuana during their pregnancies display altered responses to visual stimuli, increased tremulousness, and a high-pitched cry, which may indicate neurological problems in development. During the preschool years, marijuana-exposed children have been observed to perform tasks involving sustained attention and memory more poorly than nonexposed children do. In the school years, these children are more likely to exhibit deficits in problem-solving skills, memory, and the ability to remain attentive.

Addictive Potential

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction for some people; that is, they abuse the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop abusing the drug. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, and anxiety. They also display increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately one week after the last use of the drug.

Genetic Vulnerability

Scientists have found that whether an individual has positive or negative sensations after smoking marijuana can be influenced by heredity. A 1997 study demonstrated that identical male twins were more likely than nonidentical male twins to report similar responses to marijuana abuse, indicating a genetic basis for their response to the drug. (Identical twins share all of their genes.)

It also was discovered that the twins' shared or family environment before age 18 had no detectable influence on their response to marijuana. Certain environmental factors, however, such as the availability of marijuana, expectations about how the drug would affect them, the influence of friends and social contacts, and other factors that differentiate experiences of identical twins were found to have an important effect.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Marijuana

@Brain -> Thanks. That probably explains the difference.

[angel]

This book is excellent reading is covers more than the use of mj.

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do

I'm not going to get into an argument with you about weather or not U want to use pot to help your E.....

Feel free to use whatever you want... I was just stating my opinion..... I've smoked pot and it wasn't of any help to me nor did it help with my seizures ....

Love angel

[brain]

I can't advocate for MJ at all,
I'm allergic to that stuff.

[angel]

I'm not going to get into an argument with you about weather or not U want to use pot to help your E.....

Feel free to use whatever you want... I was just stating my opinion..... I've smoked pot and it wasn't of any help to me nor did it help with my seizures ....

Love angel

Should marijuana be a medical option?

http://www.medicalmarijuanaprocon.org/

[Bernard]

That's a nice link Angel and the page about epilepsy is pretty much in accordance with what I've posted on the chart.

[Birdbomb]

Thank you for the excellent link Angel!

I appreciate your candor and opinion, like any other form of treatment, it's all in the users prespective. I personally never have used mj as a medical treatment, but if my RA doen't get under control, I may have to resort to something as drastic as this.

After 15+ surgeries and living with RA for over 35 years, I have taken just about every pain killer there is short of herion (does not want!) Despiration drives people to strange places.

[angel]

your welcome sorry if i I think ive figured out whats causing my headaches "migraines after eating chocolate" I ate three chocolate chips and heads been pounding ever since....

[michelle detty]

i think that it should be ok. never had a problem there but my doctor said it just make you tired. i never really knew if it was ok but i know you can't drink. well i can't. michelle

[angel]

i think that it should be ok. never had a problem there but my doctor said it just make you tired. i never really knew if it was ok but i know you can't drink. well i can't. michelle

hi michelle,

I dont drink taking these meds... I'm kinda afraid to

love angel

[Seruzies]

1. Marijuana can prevent seizures, however the current side effect can be quite disrupting to your lifestyle, namely jail time.

I had never had my first seizure late in life, until after I stopped using Marijuana. I was only ever a casual user but, after my first seizure, the first thing I thought would have made my head feel better was Marijuana. Knowing that Marijuana would show up in a blood test, I have never tried it in the treatment for Epilepsy. At this point in my life, an illegal substance such as Marijuana showing up in a blood test would cost me my happy home. Thanks anyway, let me know if and when Marijuana becomes legal for the treatment of Epilepsy. Write me a prescription, and I'll participate in any study they want me to. I know I ate much better when I smoked Marijuana too.