Hall, S. A., Lalee, Z., Bell, R. P., Towe, S. L., & Meade, C. S. (2021). Synergistic effects of HIV and marijuana use on functional brain network organization. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 104, 110040.
Hall et al., (2021) explored:
- HIV disrupts brain functions and cognition. While countering HIV, marijuana usage is prevalent, but its impacts on brain functions are mysterious and unidentified.
- Brain activity is correlated with functional connectivity regions, and Neuropsychiatric disorders are adorned as disruptive actions in these connectivities.
- The technique adopted for this study is to estimate marijuana usage in relation to whole-brain network functions during the resting phase.
- The sample size for this study is 78 adults with multiple HIV and marijuana status (22 controls, 17 only marijuana status, 20 are HIV, while 19 are under the concurring shade of HIV and marijuana).
- The examination in this study includes brain network organization (both local and long-range) with eight graph-theoretical metrics.
- The results found in this study revealed that between co-occurring HIV and cannabis usage groups, the local and long-range connectivity is similar. While on the other hand, the group strata of the HIV-only and marijuana-only are associated with brain network organization disruptions.
- The overall findings suggest that the consumption of marijuana in HIV-infected ones may facilitate and normalize the brain network organization disruptions.
- However, the study further suggests that future research is required to determine the impacts of marijuana on cognitive functions in HIV and also to determine either the normalization in such specific cases is evocative or not.
Wadieh, E., Adams, L. Y., & Brown, T. L. (2017). Neuropsychiatric effects of marijuana. MOJ Addict Med Ther, 3(2), 61-64.
Wadieh et al., (2017) stated:
- Marijuana (Cannabis) is top ranking among the list of illicit drugs commonly used worldwide.
- The legislation concerning its medicinal and recreational usage opened a new window to estimate and evaluate its effects on brain functions.
- The purpose of the said study is to highlight grave impacts on psychomotor and cognitive performance, actions on specific brain receptors, and memory elements due to long-term usage of marijuana.
- CB receptors, mainly identified as CB1 and CB2, are on the hit list of cannabis catastrophe. It leads to acute drastic conditions of the human biological system as CB1 activation regulates memory, perception, motor function, and cognitive mechanism. While CB2 receptors directly impact the immunity of cells and neurons and put lasting impacts on white blood cells and the spleen.
- Excessive intoxication of marijuana leads to an abrupt change of mood, emotions, and perceptions. Recreational usage produces euphoria effect, primarily known as “high” and such conditions first decrease anxiety and lead to depression as cannabis impact lowers according to used dose.
- The study concludes that marijuana has adverse impacts on the brain structures, especially brain functions regarding cognition, memory, receptors on emotions. The chronic and long-term usage of cannabis is harmful, and the risk increases with the multiplication of the population worldwide.
Rong, C., Lee, Y., Carmona, N. E., Cha, D. S., Ragguett, R. M., Rosenblat, J. D., … & McIntyre, R. S. (2017). Cannabidiol in medical marijuana: research vistas and potential opportunities. Pharmacological research, 121, 213-218.
Rong et al., (2017) found:
- The consumption of medicinal marijuana in the general public needs serious efforts to evaluate effects on the brain and its safety
- Different cannabis concentration on the grounds of its used doses leads to a unique division, i.e., Δ9-THC and CBD.
- For this purpose, the extensive available literature is reviewed to judge the brain effects of phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD).
- The severe and adverse impacts of (CBD) have been highlighted on cognitive functions and receptors.
- Having euphoria effect, cannabis shows anit- inflammatory, anti-seizure, and antipsychotic impacts.
- The literature under review provides empirical support to prove that CBD lowers beneficial impacts on brain effectors.
- The study concludes that the research domain criteria (RDC) framework is helpful and mandatory in estimating cannabis consumption and its effects on brain functions.
References
Hall, S. A., Lalee, Z., Bell, R. P., Towe, S. L., & Meade, C. S. (2021). Synergistic effects of HIV and marijuana use on functional brain network organization. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 104, 110040.
Rong, C., Lee, Y., Carmona, N. E., Cha, D. S., Ragguett, R. M., Rosenblat, J. D., … & McIntyre, R. S. (2017). Cannabidiol in medical marijuana: research vistas and potential opportunities. Pharmacological research, 121, 213-218.
Wadieh, E., Adams, L. Y., & Brown, T. L. (2017). Neuropsychiatric effects of marijuana. MOJ Addict Med Ther, 3(2), 61-64.
