<![CDATA[Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain]]>Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain

CTV.ca News Staff

Updated: Fri. Oct. 14 2005 2:44 PM ET

While most addictive drugs, legal or illegal, have been proven to slow down or inhibit the growth of brain cells, a new study shows that marijuana might do just the opposite.

It might still be too early to claim pot smoking makes people smarter, but a new study from the University of Saskatchewan shows that some of the ingredients that make up marijuana can actually stimulate brain cell growth.

The study, headed up by Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan, will be published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in November.

The findings suggest controlled marijuana treatments can increase brain cell growth in the hippocampus area of the brain. The region is associated with learning and memory, as well as anxiety and depression.

The U of S study was performed on rats. They were injected with HU-210, a synthetic "cannabinoid" similar to a group of components found in marijuana, known as THC, but about 100 times the strength. THC is the compound of marijuana that produces the 'high,' sensation in users.

Zhang found that rats treated regularly with HU-210 experienced neurogenesis—they grew new brain cells in the hippocampus area.

Zhang's team believes depression and anxiety may be caused by a lack of brain cell growth in the hippocampal region. If that is true, marijuana, or at least HU-210, could offer a treatment for both depression and anxiety disorders by stimulating the growth of new brain cells.

The reaction is unique among drugs, both legal and illegal, such as alcohol, cocaine or heroine, which actually suppress the growth of new brain cells.

"Most 'drugs of abuse' suppress neurogenesis," said Zhang. "Only marijuana

promotes neurogenesis."

But Zhang is quick to caution the findings don't mean marijuana is a miracle drug. His research has shown that using the drug comes with lots of side affects that aren't positive, such as memory impairment, addiction and withdrawal symptoms. And the version used in the tests was potent and pure. Nothing on the street would compare to it, he said.

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]]>https://fargostreet.com/topic/4433/old-ideas-up-in-smoke-pot-might-help-the-brainRSS for NodeThu, 28 May 2026 13:49:31 GMTFri, 14 Oct 2005 20:22:22 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Wed, 19 Oct 2005 13:50:58 GMT]]>http://www.audiocomedy.net/songs/devilwent.shtml

Funny pot smoking song.......

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75722https://fargostreet.com/post/75722Wed, 19 Oct 2005 13:50:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:22:18 GMT]]>

out there wrote:
just another case of trying to market a "miracle drug" to the overmedicated america.
"no more headaches and improved learning ability!

caution: this product may cause blindness, deafness, severe heart attacks, memory loss, and bouts of paranoia. in laboratory tests, few people reported impotence and loss of sexual appetite, many experienced blotches of skin discoloration, and all reported symptons of leprosy."

exactly

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75713https://fargostreet.com/post/75713Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:22:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:08:22 GMT]]>just another case of trying to market a "miracle drug" to the overmedicated america.
"no more headaches and improved learning ability!

caution: this product may cause blindness, deafness, severe heart attacks, memory loss, and bouts of paranoia. in laboratory tests, few people reported impotence and loss of sexual appetite, many experienced blotches of skin discoloration, and all reported symptons of leprosy."

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75630https://fargostreet.com/post/75630Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:08:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Sun, 16 Oct 2005 19:37:05 GMT]]>Well for all the alcohol we drink, jim, we better start smokin.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75227https://fargostreet.com/post/75227Sun, 16 Oct 2005 19:37:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Sat, 15 Oct 2005 15:44:40 GMT]]>Naw Nova moved to an appt. on main ave and doesnt have internet yet, probably doesnt care either. But trust me... if he did have the net... he would have been the first to post in this thread.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75097https://fargostreet.com/post/75097Sat, 15 Oct 2005 15:44:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Sat, 15 Oct 2005 14:47:42 GMT]]>

weshole wrote:
Where is he? I haven't heard a thing from him since early spring.
Yeah, no idea... It's been a exactly a month today since he has posted... he's probably locked up or something.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75087https://fargostreet.com/post/75087Sat, 15 Oct 2005 14:47:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Sat, 15 Oct 2005 12:27:48 GMT]]>

wannabe wrote:
I figured Nova would be in on this one.

Where is he? I haven't heard a thing from him since early spring.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75083https://fargostreet.com/post/75083Sat, 15 Oct 2005 12:27:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Sat, 15 Oct 2005 08:58:45 GMT]]>I figured Nova would be in on this one.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75071https://fargostreet.com/post/75071Sat, 15 Oct 2005 08:58:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Sat, 15 Oct 2005 04:46:41 GMT]]>All I have to say is HELL YES!! I'm in for a PRACS study on that one!

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75054https://fargostreet.com/post/75054Sat, 15 Oct 2005 04:46:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Fri, 14 Oct 2005 21:23:49 GMT]]>or they may have wanted to accelerate the results...hard to say.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75020https://fargostreet.com/post/75020Fri, 14 Oct 2005 21:23:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Old ideas up in smoke, pot might help the brain on Fri, 14 Oct 2005 20:47:32 GMT]]>so what they are saying is aside from all of the side effects of smoking pot. in doses larger then any can smoke it might actually promote neurogens growth.

]]>https://fargostreet.com/post/75009https://fargostreet.com/post/75009Fri, 14 Oct 2005 20:47:32 GMT