Notes from episode #92 of the Huberman Lab podcast, named “The effects of cannabis (marijuana) on the brain and body”.
- Archive of audio, references and timestamps
- There are two mainstream strains of marijuana, sativa and indica.
- The high you get on sativa is head-centered, and it potentiates creativity.
- The high you get on indica is more of a full body sensation of relaxation.
- I have not noticed the difference being this clear. The effect I get definitely varies between sessions, but I have instinctively blamed context more than strain. Other facts apart from strain may also be relevant.
- Something to (maybe) finally remember the difference between strains: Indica sounds like in the couch.
- Modern nomenclature also highlights the ratio THC-CBD, instead of just the strain.
- Type one is high THC, type two is balanced, type three is high CBD.
- We are advanced in the understanding of the bio-chemical, mechanical interaction between cannabis and the brain:
- Endogenous cannabinoids are released from the post-synaptic neuron, and vary the possibility of future releases from the pre-synaptic neuron. This is, vary the frequency of communication between two neurons, positively or negatively.
- THC & CBD engage cannabinoid receptors in the brain (CB1 receptors) far better than endogenous cannabinoids.
- THC & CBD binding CB1 receptors in different brain structures have different effects in synaptic communication frequency. In some areas it increases synaptic activation, in others it decreases it.
- The different effects we experience when being high can be directly explained by the mentioned change in the frequency of synaptic activation in different brain areas:
- In the prefrontal cortex, synaptic activation is increased.
- This is the reason for the elevated mood and feeling of high importance we get from anything we experience.
- Think getting impressed and lost by music.
- In the literature this state is consider one of higher focus.
- Sativa is associated with this more often than indica.
- This, at times together with the feeling of reduced anxiety, is the cannabis effect I enjoy the most.
- This is the reason for the elevated mood and feeling of high importance we get from anything we experience.
- In the hippocampus, synaptic activation is reduced.
- This worsens short term memory.
- In the prefrontal cortex, synaptic activation is increased.
- Depending on preexisting brain circuity, drastically different effects can also be triggered.
- High stress, anxiety and paranoia are triggered for some people.
- Right now we don’t know any good predictor for this. This does not happen with other common drugs as caffeine and alcohol.
- This will end up affecting general market adoption of anything cannabis based.
- Consumption patterns are changing quickly.
- The main trend is to maximize THC percentage. Percentages that were unimaginable a couple of decades ago are commonplace now.
- CBD-only consumption has also seen a rise.
- These new consumption patterns are rendering part of the literature useless.
- It is common for research to be lagged behind market movements and general interest. New literature, better considering strains, types and modern use pattern will emerge.
- Antiquated literature makes understanding of the basics more relevant.
- 30 seconds from cannabis ingestion to effect. 30 to 40 minutes to peak.
- THC & CBD are highly lipophilic.
- This makes their transportation across the body simple. Which in practice means their effect is noticeable quickly.
- It also makes their trace to persist in our body for longer. Detection can happen for around 80 days after usage.