Smoking Too Much Cannabis Causes Dopamine Deficits In The Brain

There’s no doubt that getting high can make you do some pretty dumb stuff, although the scientific community remains split over whether or not smoking too many joints causes lasting cognitive impairment. The latest research into this controversial subject has found evidence of a connection between excessive cannabis use and decreased dopamine levels in the brain, which could in turn lead to memory, attention, and problem-solving deficits.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the brain’s so-called reward center, and is released in response to pleasurable stimuli like eating cake, having sex, and taking drugs. This is what makes many drugs so addictive (and cake so irresistible), although research suggests that excessive use of these substances causes a dopamine imbalance, with lower concentrations of the chemical being released in parts of the brain such as the striatum.

Importantly, dopamine deficits in the striatum have been associated with reduced cognitive performance. Given that THC – the active ingredient in cannabis – is known to stimulate dopamine neurons throughout the brain, lead researcher Anissa Abi-Dargham explained that “it is important to look more closely at the potentially addictive effects of cannabis on key regions of the brain.”

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but if cannabis use decrease dopamine levels in the brain, logicaly thinking it should improve positive symptoms?

Here is what the article says: I suspect that its a more complex relationship that just what the title suggests:

"Taking their investigation a step further, the study authors also measured levels of another neurotransmitter called glutamate in a brain region called the hippocampus. In schizophrenics, elevated glutamate levels in this part of the brain are known to negatively affect dopamine levels, resulting in a number of psychopathological symptoms.

Given that a link between excessive cannabis use and schizophrenia has previously been suggested, the researchers hypothesized that the dopamine deficits experienced by regular stoners may be modulated by glutamate, thereby confirming this link. However, they did not detect any signs of glutamate imbalances in the hippocampus, and therefore found no evidence of any connection between weed smoking and schizophrenia.

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I always thought thc increased dopamine, not decreased it.

I guess it’s explained here. I don’t think it’s a scale on how much dopamine one has, but how much of the neurons are stimulated.

I never found the high from weed to be all that pleasant. Alcohol is what makes me feel good. With a lot of guys it is just the opposite. They are indifferent to alcohol and crave weed. I guess thc affects people differently, like some of our med’s.

Alcohol is a big problem too - it really messes up your sleep quality - and reduced sleep quality (i.e. Less REM sleep) means you’re more likely to be stressed the next day - thus making things worse for you. Check this out:

https://www.evernote.com/l/AGpwFu2R6CNMPZd_LQRHgoBIgg_MJmLRfAoB/image.png

https://www.evernote.com/l/AGpfQHa1b2pLuLBv2YlQKUeKFNVuZ3p3ZiYB/image.png

Read more about it here:

and from here: