Cannabis' Effects on the Brain

bowl300z

New Member
It isn't illegal for me, since i have a medical card in the state i live in. Now the uncertainty is major. I honestly don't know what to expect. I started microdosing and using a vape for the 1st time today. I am using a Resin in a small pen vape. I will use scales to share my experience, but my main reason is to receive advice and guidance.

When my pain levels rose to an 8 today (out of 10), i did a microdose. I was expecting to have some psychoeffects and the uncertainity of what those entail and are supposed to be, seems to create negative experiences for me. Today, i was open minded and thinking positively. My pain level improved slightly, to a 6 or 7. As for effects, my perception of time was affected. I was dwelling deeply into thinking, not paying attention to my surroundings that well. I look at these effects and think these are major, to me and my lack of understanding - they seem like major effects, which keeps me from taking more or higher doses due to fear of the unknown.

I sought out some advice today at the dispensary. The person there suggested that instead of me running from the effects, i should dose until the pain level gets to what I am looking for (for me that is a 3 or 4), and then journal and document the physcoeffects. I am open to this group and any other suggestions. I was 44 before I tried cannabis for the 1st time. I seek the medical benefits only, primarily for pain and the muscle spasms. I need to gain experience, i understand that everyone is different and how they react to thc or cbd is different for everyone. I am looking for education on how to safely and effectively learn my reactions, limits and benefits.

thanks,
 

muunch

hotboxing the cockpit
There used to be something on the cdp-choline (aka citicholine) wiki page about it alleviating anxiety due to too much THC (or just too much cannabis? i dont remember) but it's gone now and I can find no remnants of it.


It hasn't worked exactly like that for me - I still got anxiety bc I got too high before a class even though I did take citicholine as well. But it does help to some degree
 

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
There used to be something on the cdp-choline (aka citicholine) wiki page about it alleviating anxiety due to too much THC (or just too much cannabis? i dont remember) but it's gone now and I can find no remnants of it.


It hasn't worked exactly like that for me - I still got anxiety bc I got too high before a class even though I did take citicholine as well. But it does help to some degree

citicoline can be used at 3-5 times the amount ( mg) of thc that was consumed... so if the person consumed 10 mg of thc 30 to 50 mg of citicoline is needed generally speaking

It isn't illegal for me, since i have a medical card in the state i live in. Now the uncertainty is major. I honestly don't know what to expect. I started microdosing and using a vape for the 1st time today. I am using a Resin in a small pen vape. I will use scales to share my experience, but my main reason is to receive advice and guidance.

When my pain levels rose to an 8 today (out of 10), i did a microdose. I was expecting to have some psychoeffects and the uncertainity of what those entail and are supposed to be, seems to create negative experiences for me. Today, i was open minded and thinking positively. My pain level improved slightly, to a 6 or 7. As for effects, my perception of time was affected. I was dwelling deeply into thinking, not paying attention to my surroundings that well. I look at these effects and think these are major, to me and my lack of understanding - they seem like major effects, which keeps me from taking more or higher doses due to fear of the unknown.

I sought out some advice today at the dispensary. The person there suggested that instead of me running from the effects, i should dose until the pain level gets to what I am looking for (for me that is a 3 or 4), and then journal and document the physcoeffects. I am open to this group and any other suggestions. I was 44 before I tried cannabis for the 1st time. I seek the medical benefits only, primarily for pain and the muscle spasms. I need to gain experience, i understand that everyone is different and how they react to thc or cbd is different for everyone. I am looking for education on how to safely and effectively learn my reactions, limits and benefits.

thanks,
...

the whole black peppercorns can be used to alleviate thc effects if you take to much and are uncomfortable... the advice of the dispensary person is spot on... get to where you are medicated and good and then deal with the side effects...if you go to far you can titrate effects using other substances like mentioned above... plus do not presume what will happen just do it! joke, but seriously....
 

bowl300z

New Member
the whole black peppercorns can be used to alleviate thc effects

Thanks for the advice on the black peppercorns. Now, i'm trying to figure out if there is any medical or scientifical reason the Black Peppercorns help OR is it because there is only one simple thought repeating itself over and over again in your head: "Why the f*&k am i chewing black peppercorns!"

and thinking about that single thought, takes your mind off of all the other thoughts which was leading to the high anxiety and paranoia :)
 

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the advice on the black peppercorns. Now, i'm trying to figure out if there is any medical or scientifical reason the Black Peppercorns help OR is it because there is only one simple thought repeating itself over and over again in your head: "Why the f*&k am i chewing black peppercorns!"

and thinking about that single thought, takes your mind off of all the other thoughts which was leading to the high anxiety and paranoia :)
It's the beta caryophyllene ( terpene) in the pepper acting as a pre cursor compound leading/directing the functioning of thc @ the cb receptor or better, toggling the active biochemical pathway that thc takes on active receptor sites... cb-1.

Some people have mentioned that the beta caryophollene in the black pepper stops thc effects like cbd does as an antagonsit compound @ the cb-2 receptor.... a few articles I've read show that the caryophyllene is actually an inverse agonist for the cb-1 receptor, where as thc is a full agonist @ the receptor...
THC has the ability too for retrograde signalling @ the cb-1 receptor and adding an inverse agonist blocks somewhat thc effects or prolongs cb-1 signalling further.. so the pepper is an inverse agonist acting on cb-1 receptor sites but not directly related to cb-2 antagonist pathways...
cbd is an antagonist compound modulating cb-1 activity (thc) directly through cb-2 receptors
 

bowl300z

New Member
I wanted to share my analysis of Microdosing, week 1. I realized as I started this thread, my analysis is meaningless to myself and maybe to everyone else. Not because it doesn't have any value, it does. But it has no reference point for analytic compare. Instead of trying to analyze it, i'm going to share my thoughts and let others, who have a reference point analyze it - if you want to. That way, any analysis done has a higher educated basis than what I could provide.

1st week of microdosing, also the 1st week I have used a vape has been a good experience - mostly. I am finding that a dose in the morning seems to have a stronger effect on me than later in the day. In order to compensate, i was dosing less - at first. I found that to not be a very good idea. 2 night ago, i took a small dose at night, very close to bedtime and again last night. I find that that late dose has minimized the "stronger" effect that I was feeling in the morning dose and makes me think that it isn't the size of dose at all, just the despairity or deviance from "no medicine" to "some medicine" - which leads me to believe, i am a sensitive chemistry about me to medicines - in general.

The positives out weight the negatives 5 to 1, so i will continue on this path - thanks a bunch to biohacker.

Now, here is a "negative" that I wanted to understand others opinions of "why". I had been noticing that when I dose, whether edibles or now vape, my pain levels increase, once the medicine starts to take affect. I really questioned why this would be for a while, until this morning. I noticed this morning, that a cut I suffered yesterday was actually hurting me more this morning - once the medicine kicked in. I believe that this isn't an increase in pain, just a greater awareness of current pain. So, why would cannabis open me up to a greater awareness of pain? And further to that, am I dosing too little?
 

Tranquility

Well-Known Member
Now, here is a "negative" that I wanted to understand others opinions of "why". I had been noticing that when I dose, whether edibles or now vape, my pain levels increase, once the medicine starts to take affect. I really questioned why this would be for a while, until this morning. I noticed this morning, that a cut I suffered yesterday was actually hurting me more this morning - once the medicine kicked in. I believe that this isn't an increase in pain, just a greater awareness of current pain. So, why would cannabis open me up to a greater awareness of pain? And further to that, am I dosing too little?
While I can't find it on a quick search or know the source of where the claims came from, I've read charts on the varying effects of cannabis as related to dose. It was designed to guide medical usage. I recall one interesting thing in regards to pain. There are certain dosages that are more useful for pain relief. But, subjective pain can INCREASE at higher dosages. There seems a zone where pain relief is most effective.

I think the why that was theorized is that some levels of cannabis will make the person more susceptible to recognizing pain. While others will dull it. People want to find the zone of dulling while not being solely more susceptible to recognizing it making the middle sigmas of the bell curve of relief better and the sigmas to either side worse.
 

Alexis

Well-Known Member
From the 60's psychedellic culture came the folklore phrase "an underdose is worse than an overdose".
It was related to LSD, but principles are universal. To me that meant literally, that if it takes a whole acid trip to get the sufficient effect, it is almost preferable to take 1 1/2 trips and have a fuller experience, than miss the whole thing completely on just half a blotter.

No point doing something below a certain level somethimes. Defeats the point completely and is unsatisfying and even disrupting.
 

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
I wanted to share my analysis of Microdosing, week 1. I realized as I started this thread, my analysis is meaningless to myself and maybe to everyone else. Not because it doesn't have any value, it does. But it has no reference point for analytic compare. Instead of trying to analyze it, i'm going to share my thoughts and let others, who have a reference point analyze it - if you want to. That way, any analysis done has a higher educated basis than what I could provide.

1st week of microdosing, also the 1st week I have used a vape has been a good experience - mostly. I am finding that a dose in the morning seems to have a stronger effect on me than later in the day. In order to compensate, i was dosing less - at first. I found that to not be a very good idea. 2 night ago, i took a small dose at night, very close to bedtime and again last night. I find that that late dose has minimized the "stronger" effect that I was feeling in the morning dose and makes me think that it isn't the size of dose at all, just the despairity or deviance from "no medicine" to "some medicine" - which leads me to believe, i am a sensitive chemistry about me to medicines - in general.

The positives out weight the negatives 5 to 1, so i will continue on this path - thanks a bunch to biohacker.

Now, here is a "negative" that I wanted to understand others opinions of "why". I had been noticing that when I dose, whether edibles or now vape, my pain levels increase, once the medicine starts to take affect. I really questioned why this would be for a while, until this morning. I noticed this morning, that a cut I suffered yesterday was actually hurting me more this morning - once the medicine kicked in. I believe that this isn't an increase in pain, just a greater awareness of current pain. So, why would cannabis open me up to a greater awareness of pain? And further to that, am I dosing too little?

Welcome to the world of Tolerance.... your cannabinoid receptors ( CB-1, CB-2) will develop a tolerance to external cannabinoids as you dose throughout a time span... what this means is that the shape and structure of certain molecules ( phytocannabinoids) while being purposefully directed to your receptors ( vaping,eating, smoking, etc...) will impart an effect via cb receptor signalling and then those effects will start a cascade of results that eventually spread throughout your entire anatomy... after those effects have worn off your receptors need to adjust back to a baseline perspective...
this is where tolerance comes in... the next time you present those same shaped molecules to your receptors the receptors will not respond/signal in the exact same way because of the over all cascade of effects gained from the prior signalling of those molecules...

A few ways to work around tolerance...

Strains.... different cannabis strains have different molecular structures ( shapes) and more importantly different terpene content that signal receptor activity accordingly... it's why we get different effects from different strains etc...

So, keep a few different strains that you find works on your condition and use the strains in a randomized fashion not over doing just one strain all the time etc...

you must consider the metabolites too and do what you can to stall/delay/ make the most of what molecules you put in there... cannabimimetics can help alter/adjust/toggle how the main compounds from cannabis thc/cbd work @ the receptor junctions and can serve to prolong effects by keeping the metabolic process functioning as smoothly as possible...

to directly answer your question... very small amounts will be more of a head high experience and you will need more amounts to reach a full body high... this is strain dependent somewhat but even a really heavy indica can have sativa effects using a vaporizer at low heat and micro amounts being used.... use just a little more of that same indica and eventually a body high will occur...

switching strains on the regular serves to introduce new shape and effects

Hope this helps and this is info on cannabis effects on the brain so it fits the thread
 

biohacker

H.R.E.A.M
As always great post and info C No! :tup: I personally have noticed that introducing too many strains can pose issues as well, as one becomes tolerant to one strain, and then switching strains can causes withdrawal to the first strain. My experience anyway, and I think a big reason why I encountered problems with cannabis in the past. Pretty sure every one of my receptors was flooded everywhere in my brain (and body)! But i'm an extreme case. :2c:
 

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
As always great post and info C No! :tup: I personally have noticed that introducing too many strains can pose issues as well, as one becomes tolerant to one strain, and then switching strains can causes withdrawal to the first strain. My experience anyway, and I think a big reason why I encountered problems with cannabis in the past. Pretty sure every one of my receptors was flooded everywhere in my brain (and body)! But i'm an extreme case. :2c:

receptors are made to be bumped into... the more shapes and forms the more receptor activity overall... people not willing to bump their receptor functioning will grow to have stagnant receptors that dull over time ( Alzheimer etc)... Were our foods based around this receptor activation principle we would be super healthy from foods based around and targeting receptor signalling... exactly how long after "endocannabinoid system" goes mainstream that this will happen?? very soon afterwards as we evolve from fear based stalling of all our lives at this time
 

biohacker

H.R.E.A.M
PUBLIC RELEASE: 8-MAY-2017
Cannabis reverses aging processes in the brain

Researchers at the University of Bonn restore the memory performance of Methuselah mice to a juvenile stage

UNIVERSITY OF BONN


IMAGE: PROF. DR. ANDREAS ZIMMER (LEFT) AND THE NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA SCIENCE MINISTER SVENJA SCHULZE (CENTER) ARE IN THE LAB OF THE INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY AT UNIVERSITY OF BONN. view more

CREDIT: © PHOTO: VOLKER LANNERT/UNI BONN

Memory performance decreases with increasing age. Cannabis can reverse these ageing processes in the brain. This was shown in mice by scientists at the University of Bonn with their colleagues at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). Old animals were able to regress to the state of two-month-old mice with a prolonged low-dose treatment with a cannabis active ingredient. This opens up new options, for instance, when it comes to treating dementia. The results are now presented in the journal Nature Medicine.

Like any other organ, our brain ages. As a result, cognitive ability also decreases with increasing age. This can be noticed, for instance, in that it becomes more difficult to learn new things or devote attention to several things at the same time. This process is normal, but can also promote dementia. Researchers have long been looking for ways to slow down or even reverse this process.

Scientists at the University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have now achieved this in mice. These animals have a relatively short life expectancy in nature and display pronounced cognitive deficits even at twelve months of age. The researchers administered a small quantity of THC, the active ingredient in the hemp plant (cannabis), to mice aged two, twelve and 18 months over a period of four weeks.

Afterwards, they tested learning capacity and memory performance in the animals - including, for instance, orientation skills and the recognition of other mice. Mice who were only given a placebo displayed natural age-dependent learning and memory losses. In contrast, the cognitive functions of the animals treated with cannabis were just as good as the two-month-old control animals. "The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals," reported Prof. Andreas Zimmer from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation.

Years of meticulous research

This treatment success is the result of years of meticulous research. First of all, the scientists discovered that the brain ages much faster when mice do not possess any functional receptors for THC. These cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors are proteins to which the substances dock and thus trigger a signal chain. CB1 is also the reason for the intoxicating effect of THC in cannabis products, such as hashish or marihuana, which accumulate at the receptor. THC imitates the effect of cannabinoids produced naturally in the body, which fulfil important functions in the brain. "With increasing age, the quantity of the cannabinoids naturally formed in the brain reduces," says Prof. Zimmer. "When the activity of the cannabinoid system declines, we find rapid ageing in the brain."

To discover precisely what effect the THC treatment has in old mice, the researchers examined the brain tissue and gene activity of the treated mice. The findings were surprising: the molecular signature no longer corresponded to that of old animals, but was instead very similar to that of young animals. The number of links between the nerve cells in the brain also increased again, which is an important prerequisite for learning ability. "It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock," says Zimmer.

Next step: clinical trial on humans

A low dose of the administered THC was chosen so that there was no intoxicating effect in the mice. Cannabis products are already permitted as medications, for instance as pain relief. As a next step, the researchers want to conduct a clinical trial to investigate whether THC also reverses ageing processes in the brain in humans and can increase cognitive ability.

The North Rhine-Westphalia science minister Svenja Schulze appeared thrilled by the study: "The promotion of knowledge-led research is indispensable, as it is the breeding ground for all matters relating to application. Although there is a long path from mice to humans, I feel extremely positive about the prospect that THC could be used to treat dementia, for instance."

###

Publication: A chronic low dose of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) restores cognitive function in old mice, Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/nm.4311
 

bowl300z

New Member
I would love to hear some information and experience on foods, relative to cannabis. I have read over C No's posts a few times.
metabolites

was the word that got me thinking more about how and when to eat. When I first started to use cannabis in July of 2016, i was using edibles only. And at that same time I started with the cannabis,
My diet changed dramatically. I went to a vegan diet at first, then a paleo then an auto-immune paleo (AIP). Over the past couple of months, I have learned the value and necessity to increase fatty foods into my diet. Fat is helpful for Neurological issues as well as being a bonding molecule for cannabis.

Currently, I dose on an empty stomach every morning and normally don't eat until closer to lunch. Occasionaly i'll have an apple or a banana. I find that eating increases my symptoms and lowers the help that the cannabis offers. I'm still under-dosing instead of microdosing. However my doses have increased steadily over the past few days, i'm getting bolder and braver.
 

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
I would love to hear some information and experience on foods, relative to cannabis. I have read over C No's posts a few times.


was the word that got me thinking more about how and when to eat. When I first started to use cannabis in July of 2016, i was using edibles only. And at that same time I started with the cannabis,
My diet changed dramatically. I went to a vegan diet at first, then a paleo then an auto-immune paleo (AIP). Over the past couple of months, I have learned the value and necessity to increase fatty foods into my diet. Fat is helpful for Neurological issues as well as being a bonding molecule for cannabis.

Currently, I dose on an empty stomach every morning and normally don't eat until closer to lunch. Occasionaly i'll have an apple or a banana. I find that eating increases my symptoms and lowers the help that the cannabis offers. I'm still under-dosing instead of microdosing. However my doses have increased steadily over the past few days, i'm getting bolder and braver.

hemp seed oil, Lecithin, virgin coconut oil etc... all good fats IMO... you can supplement omega three with krill oil, fish oils are questionable though as to cleanness, effectiveness etc...

if you follow the biochemical pathway of the cannabinoids they fire neuronal thuogh your receptors then exit stage left.. waste elimination... it's as simple as that and keeping every uptake and elimination faculty functioning at optimal is Key
 

EverythingsHazy

Well-Known Member
Anyone have any studies on Cannabis' effects on white matter (corpus callosum)? I've seen the same study, that's been discussed on numerous sites, that states that high-potency/daily use causes white matter damage (lesions?), but it's only one study. On top of that, they insist on dividing Cannabis into "skunk/hash", and consider "skunk" more potent, which seems false, seeing as hash is just heated, pressed keif. I doubt hash usually has less THC, or even a higher THC/CBD ratio, than dried buds.
 
EverythingsHazy,
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zenmasterofzinfandel

Well-Known Member
@EverythingsHazy

http://fuckcombustion.com/rules/

^^^"No bumping. Please do not bump your threads to try and get attention. Be patient."



https://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_pharmacology2.shtml

this section in that article below especially explains a lot....

4.0 Proposed roles of the endogenous cannabinoid system

Alt-med, 'the sacred plant', cannabis forums, stoner druggy sites^, follow herbivore21's advice and discard these sources of dubious information, use Google Scholar
 
zenmasterofzinfandel,

Doktor Dub

Well-Known Member
PUBLIC RELEASE: 8-MAY-2017
Cannabis reverses aging processes in the brain

Researchers at the University of Bonn restore the memory performance of Methuselah mice to a juvenile stage

UNIVERSITY OF BONN


IMAGE: PROF. DR. ANDREAS ZIMMER (LEFT) AND THE NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA SCIENCE MINISTER SVENJA SCHULZE (CENTER) ARE IN THE LAB OF THE INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY AT UNIVERSITY OF BONN. view more

CREDIT: © PHOTO: VOLKER LANNERT/UNI BONN

Memory performance decreases with increasing age. Cannabis can reverse these ageing processes in the brain. This was shown in mice by scientists at the University of Bonn with their colleagues at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). Old animals were able to regress to the state of two-month-old mice with a prolonged low-dose treatment with a cannabis active ingredient. This opens up new options, for instance, when it comes to treating dementia. The results are now presented in the journal Nature Medicine.

Like any other organ, our brain ages. As a result, cognitive ability also decreases with increasing age. This can be noticed, for instance, in that it becomes more difficult to learn new things or devote attention to several things at the same time. This process is normal, but can also promote dementia. Researchers have long been looking for ways to slow down or even reverse this process.

Scientists at the University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have now achieved this in mice. These animals have a relatively short life expectancy in nature and display pronounced cognitive deficits even at twelve months of age. The researchers administered a small quantity of THC, the active ingredient in the hemp plant (cannabis), to mice aged two, twelve and 18 months over a period of four weeks.

Afterwards, they tested learning capacity and memory performance in the animals - including, for instance, orientation skills and the recognition of other mice. Mice who were only given a placebo displayed natural age-dependent learning and memory losses. In contrast, the cognitive functions of the animals treated with cannabis were just as good as the two-month-old control animals. "The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals," reported Prof. Andreas Zimmer from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation.

Years of meticulous research

This treatment success is the result of years of meticulous research. First of all, the scientists discovered that the brain ages much faster when mice do not possess any functional receptors for THC. These cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors are proteins to which the substances dock and thus trigger a signal chain. CB1 is also the reason for the intoxicating effect of THC in cannabis products, such as hashish or marihuana, which accumulate at the receptor. THC imitates the effect of cannabinoids produced naturally in the body, which fulfil important functions in the brain. "With increasing age, the quantity of the cannabinoids naturally formed in the brain reduces," says Prof. Zimmer. "When the activity of the cannabinoid system declines, we find rapid ageing in the brain."

To discover precisely what effect the THC treatment has in old mice, the researchers examined the brain tissue and gene activity of the treated mice. The findings were surprising: the molecular signature no longer corresponded to that of old animals, but was instead very similar to that of young animals. The number of links between the nerve cells in the brain also increased again, which is an important prerequisite for learning ability. "It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock," says Zimmer.

Next step: clinical trial on humans

A low dose of the administered THC was chosen so that there was no intoxicating effect in the mice. Cannabis products are already permitted as medications, for instance as pain relief. As a next step, the researchers want to conduct a clinical trial to investigate whether THC also reverses ageing processes in the brain in humans and can increase cognitive ability.

The North Rhine-Westphalia science minister Svenja Schulze appeared thrilled by the study: "The promotion of knowledge-led research is indispensable, as it is the breeding ground for all matters relating to application. Although there is a long path from mice to humans, I feel extremely positive about the prospect that THC could be used to treat dementia, for instance."

###

Publication: A chronic low dose of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) restores cognitive function in old mice, Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/nm.4311

I love scientists! and these are from my Area. It s such a pitty we go in the direction of a new age of dumbness.....

Have a nice day!
 
Doktor Dub,
  • Like
Reactions: C No Ego

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
@EverythingsHazy

http://fuckcombustion.com/rules/

^^^"No bumping. Please do not bump your threads to try and get attention. Be patient."






Alt-med, 'the sacred plant', cannabis forums, stoner druggy sites^, follow herbivore21's advice and discard these sources of dubious information, use Google Scholar
Um, Ok... and you visited why? on a fuck combustion ( cannabis= drugs- ewhhh)... web site... dubious info, like prohibition and all of the information tht keeps cannabis illegal... are you the info police, LOL

edit... if you have any thing close to interesting information to share here ( regarding cannabis effects on human brains) please do so...
 
C No Ego,
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