how does marijuana affect your brain

How Does Marijuana Affect Your Brain?

While most people believe marijuana is a harmless drug, there are some controversial findings. Marijuana may alter your brain’s reward system and cause your munchies, but it also raises your risk for psychosis and lowers your IQ. In addition to altering your brain’s reward system, marijuana may also mess with your neuron signals, making it harder to remember things and causing you to suffer from psychosis. sign up for a medical marijuana card online gov ny

Despite its high in THC, marijuana can affect your brain negatively and positively. Studies have shown that people who abuse marijuana have abnormalities in the brain chemistry and white matter, which helps neurons communicate. These changes are associated with impulsivity in heavy marijuana users, as well as people who started smoking before they were 16 years old. The study did not reveal a causal relationship between marijuana use and depression. But it is worth noting that cigarette smokers are less likely to exhibit mood changes when they are under the influence of marijuana.

Some of these findings have been published in scientific journals. Interestingly, a large number of studies have documented the detrimental effects of marijuana on the brain. One recent study compiled 43 studies involving chronic cannabis use in adolescents and found that there were structural abnormalities and altered neural activity in the brains of the participants. Eight of the studies focused on young people, but researchers say the changes could persist even after a month of abstaining from the drug.

While studies on animals have found dose-dependent toxicity in the brain, the effects of cannabis use in humans have not been as clear. The study in this case used Voxel-based morphology to measure changes in gray matter in marijuana smokers. In this way, it was possible to compare the results of the study with those of non-smokers. The researchers found that marijuana smokers exhibited changes in the regions of the brain associated with motivation and pleasure processing. They also showed significant changes in the amygdala, which plays a role in emotion and memory.

There is no definitive answer to the question, “How does marijuana affect your brain?” However, it is important to keep in mind that it may affect your behavior and emotions. While the effects of marijuana on the brain vary with the individual, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana (THC) is linked to the disruption of natural reward circuitry in the brain. It may also increase “neural noise” – the amount of random neural activity in the brain.

While the short-term effects of marijuana may be fleeting, heavier long-term use can have negative effects on memory. In contrast, cannabis can also have neuroprotective effects, which may actually reverse cognitive impairments. Unlike alcohol, marijuana’s non-psychoactive component CBD may help improve memory. However, marijuana’s short-term effects are similar to alcohol use in that it does not last long enough to cause permanent change.