Marijuana and Brain Development
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tainted4ever
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 06:40    Post subject: Marijuana and Brain Development
My brother is 16 years old. He vapes about 3 - 4 times a week before sleep. We were talking about it a bit, and he's voiced some fear about the constant MJ usage affecting his brain development. I have no medical expertise, no knowledge of drugs, and have never taken a Bio class in my life. So, needless to say, I'm beyond clueless about these things.

Then I remembered that half the population on NFOHump are stoners, and then there's always AnimalMother Smile So, anyone have any insights to offer?
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bushwacka




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Location: Vienna
PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 07:36    Post subject:
there are some studies that implicate thc in brain development deficiencies, but apart from being a bit questionable to begin with, they're all about heavy stoners (50-100g/week and more), so those few times won't hurt him.

from my personal experience: i smoked shitloads when i was about 15-17 and while i have to say that during that period i kinda felt a bit dumb and slow (it's like the gears in your brain are rotating in syrup Very Happy ) - one year later i reduced it to a few times a month and all was back to normal again.

btw, who the fuck smokes before going to sleep? if it lets him fall asleep easier, i'd rather try other things than weed. oh and another thing: i'd worry more about psychological than medical stuff--> paranoia etc
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dingo_d
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 07:48    Post subject:
I have looked one documentary about the effects of weed on the brain, and for heavy users there was some change in the ct pictures, plus the test subjects showed the signs of psychosis :\ I have tried, it didn't work for me, so atm I'm stuck with the occasional booze Very Happy


"Quantum mechanics is actually, contrary to it's reputation, unbeliveably simple, once you take the physics out."
Scott Aaronson
chiv wrote:
thats true you know. newton didnt discover gravity. the apple told him about it, and then he killed it. the core was never found.

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bushwacka




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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 08:14    Post subject:
dingo_d wrote:
I have tried, it didn't work for me

sometimes you have to "break it in" a few times or try a different method. a friend of mine never felt the effects from weed until i baked him some cookies Very Happy
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tainted4ever
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 08:18    Post subject:
bushwacka wrote:
dingo_d wrote:
I have tried, it didn't work for me

sometimes you have to "break it in" a few times or try a different method. a friend of mine never felt the effects from weed until i baked him some cookies Very Happy
Same here, brother's getting me cookies soon as I get home in 2 weeks. Cheers Smile
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deelix
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 10:35    Post subject:
Iv got two WORKING friends that smoke more or less a joint every day. One of them does well, the other is a lazy bastard :/ But... don't know if the ganja had anything to do with it
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BearishSun




Posts: 4484

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 11:38    Post subject:
Got a female friend that smokes 4 times a day...yeah I know. She doesn't seem impaired by it though, although she was always a little nuts.

But I know this other guy that smokes a lot and he's slow as shit, you can really see it on him. Although it's possible he's taking some other shit too.
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Rofl_Mao




Posts: 3187
Location: Nederland
PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 12:49    Post subject:
Drugs will ruin your brain and capacities. And job opportunities as well. Nice and clean people are simply much more attractive to employers.

And in case of male pot smokers: the function of your penis will deteriorate.


Lopin18 wrote:
I think you played too much Fallout 3, Pedo Perk acquired. Cool Face
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BearishSun




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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 12:50    Post subject:
Rofl_Mao wrote:
And in case of male pot smokers: the function of your penis will deteriorate.


Will it fall off?
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deelix
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 13:22    Post subject:
Was asked if I smoked pot on my 2nd job interview actually
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Atropa




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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 17:45    Post subject:
Rofl_Mao wrote:
the function of your penis will deteriorate.


Quote:
There is no evidence that marijuana impairs male reproductive functioning.

The Jamaican and Costa Rican field studies detected no differences in hormone levels between marijuana users and non-users.

In epidemiological surveys of marijuana users, no problems with fertility have emerged as important.

In 1974, researchers reported diminished testosterone, reduced sexual function and abnormal sperm cells in males identified as chronic marijuana users. 34 In a laboratory study, the same researchers reported an acute decrease in testosterone, but no chronic effect after nine weeks of smoking; they did not evaluate sperm volume or quality. 35 In other laboratory studies, researchers have been generally unable to replicate these findings, 36 although by administering very high THC doses - up to 20 cigarettes per day for 30 days - one study found a slight decrease in sperm concentrations. 37 In all studies, test results remained within normal ranges and probably would not have affected actual fertility.

Severe adverse consequences have also been produced in male laboratory animals, although only with extremely high daily THC doses. 38

More importantly, in both the human and animal laboratory studies, all observed changes were reversed once THC administration was halted.
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Photish




Posts: 1225

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 18:31    Post subject:
I smoke every day + drink beer every day... I have a high profile job(and Im even bored there, its to easy)

This cant be good for me, but I feel great!

Fucked up thing is, if I eat an hour or 2 before I go to sleep, Im FUCKED up the day after!

Oh I also do this so I can sleep.

But on-topic, I dont think its healty for such a young brain to do it so often. The brain is still "growing" as a teenager.
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AnimalMother




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Location: England
PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 18:33    Post subject:
I find it difficult to not get overly scientific when it comes to questions such as this, but I'll try to be succinct.

The best way to find out if your brother is susceptible to the irreversible 5-ht receptor subtype agonism that cannabinoids exert and the subsequent dopaminergic excitotoxic tolerance he has is to have him abstain for about two weeks.

If he is genetically predisposed he will suffer from paranoia, irrational feelings of persecution and agitation/insomnia. Therefore he is vulnerable to developing cannabis psychosis or an affective personality disorder after prolonged use (five or more years) regardless of whether he continues to use or not; or after cessation of moderate term use (one year or more). The extent of the disorder is subjectively variable and proportionate to volume/regularity of use. But regardless of this they all come with some degree of cognitive dysfunction. An individual is especially vulnerable if the de novo synthesis of 5-ht receptors is abnormal, and in these cases a disaffecting psychosis can progress to schizophrenia, but I expect he would already be displaying symptoms if this were the case.

I suppose the only difficulty will be trying to get him to lay off the stuff sincerely, I mean he could easily do it without your knowledge. But if he's really worried about the potential negative effects it could have then he'll be willing to try it.


"Techniclly speaking, Beta-Manboi didnt inject Burberry_Massi with Benz, he injected him with liquid that had air bubbles in it, which caused benz." - House M.D

"Faith without logic is the same as knowledge without understanding; meaningless"
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dingo_d
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 18:59    Post subject:
AnimalMother wrote:
I find it difficult to not get overly scientific when it comes to questions such as this, but I'll try to be succinct. ...


You couldn't have said concise ? Laughing


"Quantum mechanics is actually, contrary to it's reputation, unbeliveably simple, once you take the physics out."
Scott Aaronson
chiv wrote:
thats true you know. newton didnt discover gravity. the apple told him about it, and then he killed it. the core was never found.

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AnimalMother




Posts: 12390
Location: England
PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 19:21    Post subject:
dingo_d wrote:
AnimalMother wrote:
I find it difficult to not get overly scientific when it comes to questions such as this, but I'll try to be succinct. ...


You couldn't have said concise ? Laughing


I could have, but I just wrote whichever word came to mind first. Besides you sometimes use obtuse mathematical terms. Razz


"Techniclly speaking, Beta-Manboi didnt inject Burberry_Massi with Benz, he injected him with liquid that had air bubbles in it, which caused benz." - House M.D

"Faith without logic is the same as knowledge without understanding; meaningless"
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dingo_d
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 19:24    Post subject:
AnimalMother wrote:
dingo_d wrote:
AnimalMother wrote:
I find it difficult to not get overly scientific when it comes to questions such as this, but I'll try to be succinct. ...


You couldn't have said concise ? Laughing


I suppose could have, but I just wrote whichever word came to mind first. Besides you sometimes use obtuse mathematical terms. Cool Face


You got me Very Happy Because I saw that word succinct, and I was: huh? Question Scratch Head And then my friend dictionary came through Laughing


"Quantum mechanics is actually, contrary to it's reputation, unbeliveably simple, once you take the physics out."
Scott Aaronson
chiv wrote:
thats true you know. newton didnt discover gravity. the apple told him about it, and then he killed it. the core was never found.

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Cra$h690690690690690
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Posts: 12

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 20:18    Post subject:
Tell him to smoke how much he wants to smoke. Thc has no whatsoever damage on brain. All the 'drugs are bad for your health mkay' rhetorics are plain bullshit created by governments to control their sheep.
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dingo_d
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 20:20    Post subject:
Dude your name is too big to fit inside the box Cool Face


"Quantum mechanics is actually, contrary to it's reputation, unbeliveably simple, once you take the physics out."
Scott Aaronson
chiv wrote:
thats true you know. newton didnt discover gravity. the apple told him about it, and then he killed it. the core was never found.

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Mister_s




Posts: 19863

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 20:28    Post subject:
It's impossible to paraphrase the various studies using a couple of lines, but as of yet there's no distinct relation between light cannabis usage and problems with brain development. Most people claim "weed makes you retarded", but it's more a "which came first" question. Does weed make brilliant people stupid and lazy, or are most weed smokers just lazy and averagely smart/stupid to begin with?

Just let the guy do his thing. If he's not having problems with it, who are you to fuck it all up.
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dingo_d
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 20:37    Post subject:
Mister_s wrote:
It's impossible to paraphrase the various studies using a couple of lines, but as of yet there's no distinct relation between light cannabis usage and problems with brain development. Most people claim "weed makes you retarded", but it's more a "which came first" question. Does weed make brilliant people stupid and lazy, or are most weed smokers just lazy and averagely smart/stupid to begin with?

Just let the guy do his thing. If he's not having problems with it, who are you to fuck it all up.


I would say that if his brother was an adult, but he's 16 so his brain is still developing...


"Quantum mechanics is actually, contrary to it's reputation, unbeliveably simple, once you take the physics out."
Scott Aaronson
chiv wrote:
thats true you know. newton didnt discover gravity. the apple told him about it, and then he killed it. the core was never found.

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tainted4ever
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Posts: 11336

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 21:39    Post subject:
Mister_s wrote:
It's impossible to paraphrase the various studies using a couple of lines, but as of yet there's no distinct relation between light cannabis usage and problems with brain development. Most people claim "weed makes you retarded", but it's more a "which came first" question. Does weed make brilliant people stupid and lazy, or are most weed smokers just lazy and averagely smart/stupid to begin with?

Just let the guy do his thing. If he's not having problems with it, who are you to fuck it all up.
I'm not forcing him to do anything. He's the one who asked me about all this Laughing

@AnimalMother: Thanks! I think he'll have no problem laying off it for awhile to see what happens.
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Lutzifer
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 22:41    Post subject:
as a neuropsychologist i d suggest that he should stay away from most - if not all drugs - untill the age of 25. After that it goes only downhill anyways Very Happy
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Photish




Posts: 1225

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 22:45    Post subject:
Lutzifer wrote:
as a neuropsychologist i d suggest that he should stay away from most - if not all drugs - untill the age of 25. After that it goes only downhill anyways Very Happy


+1
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Mister_s




Posts: 19863

PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 22:45    Post subject:
Lutzifer wrote:
as a neuropsychologist i d suggest that he should stay away from most - if not all drugs - untill the age of 25. After that it goes only downhill anyways Very Happy

Can you elaborate? Most studies I've read could not find a direct connection. Heavy use excluded of course.
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Lutzifer
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PostPosted: Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 23:36    Post subject:
Mister_s wrote:
Lutzifer wrote:
as a neuropsychologist i d suggest that he should stay away from most - if not all drugs - untill the age of 25. After that it goes only downhill anyways Very Happy

Can you elaborate? Most studies I've read could not find a direct connection. Heavy use excluded of course.


well, why exclude it? It shows what the effects are, just way more pronounced. And of course regular use of small doses of drugs can often have the same effects as irregular large doses.

Imho alot of the promoters of marijuana often quote research from the 80ies to the early to mid 90ies, which is bad because neuroscientific methods have become far more advanced and widespread beginning with the early to mid 90ies. Just try to get any overview articles from the last two years or check wikipedia for a pretty comprehensive summary and links for further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana_and_the_brain
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Mister_s




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PostPosted: Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 00:11    Post subject:
I was actually more interested in your views as a neuropsychologist, not wikipedia. Just wondering if there are new developments about the subject.
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nouseforaname
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PostPosted: Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 00:56    Post subject:
even my mom can find the national library of medicine, they even have a .com website redirect Smile

http://www.pubmed.com
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/


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Last edited by nouseforaname on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 00:57; edited 1 time in total
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Mister_s




Posts: 19863

PostPosted: Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 00:57    Post subject:
nouseforaname wrote:
even my mom can find the national library of medicine of teh USA which = right Wink

http://www.pubmed.com

Mister_s wrote:
Can you elaborate? Most studies I've read could not find a direct connection. Heavy use excluded of course.
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nouseforaname
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PostPosted: Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 00:58    Post subject:
^^ Indeed Smile

but at least a better start than google Wink


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Mister_s




Posts: 19863

PostPosted: Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 01:00    Post subject:
I use pubmed daily, maybe Lutzifer has specific knowledge about the subject.
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