Effects of THC and Psilocybin on the Human brain

Effects of THC and Psilocybin

on the Human brain

Humans have been known to consume drugs since thousands of years, but what are the real effects of drugs on our brain? In this journal, I wanted to research the effect of different drugs on our brain, and particularly psilocybin and marijuana.

As medical and recreational marijuana is becoming more and more commons nowadays, very little is known about its life-long effects on the Human brain. Multiple studies shows that it can have significant impact on the brain if the consumption started before sixteen years old. In adults, regular consumption of marijuana can also lead to negative effects, for example this article written by Filbey and al. show interesting effects of marijuana on the adolescent and adult brain, “ In this study, we found that chronic exposure to marijuana (i) reduces OFC gray matter volume, (ii) increases structural and functional connectivity, and (iii) leads to neural alterations that are modulated by age of onset and duration of use.” as mentioned at the end of the article, a cease in marijuana intake could possible reverse those effects, but more study is needed to confirm this hypothesis. The findings of this study are particularly interesting, as decrease in gray matter leads to poor life decision and more emotional problems. Heavy and chronic exposure to marijuana has been demonstrated to be harmful for Human, while it can also be used for its medical properties, it should be used in moderate and controlled amount to prevent any side effects on the Human brain.

On the other hand, schools used to teach us that marijuana has a negative effect on the brain, and causes IQ decline as well as other mental diseases. While searching for evidence to this claim, I found an article written by Jackson and al. that claim “In the largest longitudinal examination of marijuana use and IQ change, using two samples to replicate results and a genetically informative design, we find little evidence to suggest that adolescent marijuana use has a direct effect on intellectual decline. […] the lack of a dose–response relationship, and an absence of meaningful differences between discordant siblings lead us to conclude that the deficits observed in marijuana users are attributable to confounding factors that influence both substance initiation and IQ rather than a neurotoxic effect of marijuana.” The conclusion of this study is very interesting, as they also had twins, one that used marijuana during his teenage years and one that did not. No difference in IQ was found between the two individuals. This could mean that marijuana use in teenage years actually has no effect on the IQ of an individual, and the difference seen in different studies that claim the opposite could be attributed the environmental and socio-economic factors. As more and more countries throughout the world are legalising marijuana for recreational (and medicinal) use, I believe it is crucial to know the potential effects of this drug and especially on the young population. And while marijuana use may not affect one’s IQ, it may have other negative effect on the population such as mentioned before.

In the world, very few countries have legalised the use of psilocybin. For a few decades, more studies on psilocybin and its potential benefits on the brain has been studied. An article called “Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin” claim huge improvement in anxiety and depression after a single use of psilocybin “These two studies, in particular, provide strong evidence showing substantial decreases in depressive and anxious symptoms that appear to persist for at least 6 months after a single active treatment. Such results are unprecedented in psychiatry.”(Johnson and al.). Another study done on depression and anxiety in cancer patients showed a mood improvement “Participants attributed to the high-dose experience positive changes in attitudes about life, self, mood, relationships and spirituality, with over 80% endorsing moderately or higher increased well-being or life satisfaction.” (Griffiths and al.). These two studies are very promising as depression and anxiety has been researched for years, and psilocybin could be an effective treatment.

References

Filbey, F. M., Aslan, S., Calhoun, V. D., Spence, J. S., Damaraju, E., Caprihan, A., & Segall, J. (2014). Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(47), 16913-16918.

Jackson, N. J., Isen, J. D., Khoddam, R., Irons, D., Tuvblad, C., Iacono, W. G., ... & Baker, L. A. (2016). Impact of adolescent marijuana use on intelligence: Results from two longitudinal twin studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(5), E500-E508.

Johnson, M. W., & Griffiths, R. R. (2017). Potential therapeutic effects of psilocybin. Neurotherapeutics, 14(3), 734-740.

Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., ... & Klinedinst, M. A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of psychopharmacology, 30(12), 1181-1197.