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Posted by mysticalninja on Dec-11-2009 21:27:

quote:
Originally posted by Evolve140
That sounds scientific. To be able to figure out if cannabis helps someone's concentrate based on this is ludicrous, however. Those who are familiar with the drug itself know that the effects vary dramatically from person to person, and from strain to strain. There are strains of indica I could smoke which would render me useless in the studio, but I know of some staiva or hybrids that glue me to the computer and I can't stop working on music. I'm actually only commenting on this because I do not work without cannabis. Typically when I work on something I want to "dive in", and not be bothered. When I am working on music, it is the only thing that I seem to notice or care about, and in part I can thank cannabis for that.

The notion that smoking cannabis will instantly improve your focus is absurb, and reinforces the idea behind the fact that people's understanding of this drug is half-witted at best. The reason I can use cannabis to help me focus is because I have used it nearly every day for over 5 years, and my brain has developed to be used to it and I can expect what it does. If someone smokes weed and they aren't experienced, they will just geek out and eat junk food. But the statement "It will cause the part of your brain that discards "unnecessary" memories to work over time" is quite laughable and a wild assumption.

Also, there are 40 or more other active psychoactive ingredients and they are all cannabinoids, THC is popularized as the main ingredient but it has no bearing.

Before you think I'm bashing or unfamiliar with cannabis, I smoke every day as well and have for over 5 years at least. However this is NOT good for your working memory. While this is good for stress and you could argue that helps you concentrate, but is that really what it's doing or is it simply a side affect? Just look up the functions of Anadamide, one of the natural cannabinoids our brain produces, just discovered in the 90s along with cannabinoid receptors.

There are many other cannabinoids in weed but THC is the main psychoactive ingredient. However its effect depends on interaction with the other cannabinoids. Synthetic THC has a more acute psychedelic effect than cannabis, this is explained by the moderating effect many of the non-THC cannabinoids present in cannabis. Many scientists believe that synthetic THC lacks beneficial properties of cannabis, which contains more than 60 cannabinoids, including cannabidiol, thought to be the major anticonvulsant that helps multiple sclerosis patients; and cannabichromene, an anti-inflammatory which may contribute to the pain-killing effect of cannabis. The difference between between Indica and Sativa that you mention comes from the different balance of Cannabinoids.

I will say however, that it does help me amazingly creatively, but the effects on memory is obvious. I think the time distortion may be a part of the helpfulness when it comes to producing and critically listening.

Here's a bit of info on the mechanics behind Anandamide:
quote:
Weed's deserved reputation for disruption of short term memory comes from its activity at these sites. Memories are formed (at least in part) through by the action of long term potentiation. This occurs when a group of neurons is consistently fired synchronously, they tend to become quicker to fire together, and their response is stronger -- they are associated with each other, and are a memory. If these groups are not stimulated together for a long period of time, their potentiation goes away, and you forget whatever memory they held. CB1 agonism, whether done by anandamide or THC, indirectly causes the neuron's ion gates to open, forcing the neuron to go to resting potential whether or not it is supposed to be firing. Since the neuron's firing is inhibited, long term potentiation involving that neuron is prevented. When caused by anandamide (in its role as a neurotransmitter), this effect is used in specific areas to the brain's benefit. THC is nonspecific, so all short term memory is impaired, and THC is much longer lived than anandamide, making it's effects last longer. There have been a few studies that suggest blocking the CB1 receptor can lead to improved memory in both healthy and aging rats, and drugs are being studded to use this effect for humans.

The brain is like a hard-drive, it doesn't have infinite room for infinite memories. I'm not sure if we know exactly how the brain "decides" which memories to discard, but I know that we know a naturally produced cannabinoid in our brain is involved with it.

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