Does habitual marijuana use make you antisocial?

“Humans and their brains and minds are formed and normally function through continuous interaction with other people. Our need for each other is not just limited to our inner circles, our families, and our close friends. We need each other on so many levels.

Studies have shown that marijuana can help patients feel less lonely and depressed, but that doesn’t mean cannabis will make you a social butterfly. A new study actually found the opposite: Habitual marijuana use could cause users to become less sociable than others.

The research, published in Nature, was led by Giovanni Marsicano at the NeuroCentre Magendie in Bordeaux, France. His team wanted to better understand how cannabinoid receptors work and how they interact with marijuana compounds. Previous studies found that cannabinoid receptors are primarily located in the cell membrane.

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But Marsicano and his team discovered in 2012 that there are some receptors in mitochondria that are known as the powerhouses of the cell and provide much of the energy that cells need. Small star-shaped cells called astrocytes lie along the mitochondrial membrane. These astrocytes “absorb glucose from the bloodstream to fuel the brain, thereby enabling neuronal activity and behavioral responses,” the study authors write.

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Mariscano and his team had an idea: If these astrocytes contained cannabinoid receptors, how exactly did they interact with marijuana?

“Given the importance of astrocytes and energy expenditure in brain function, we wanted to understand the role of these specific cannabinoid receptors and the brain and behavioral consequences of cannabis exposure,” Marsicano said.

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When researchers gave mice THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis, it triggered a cascade of molecular processes. These included dysfunction of glucose metabolism in astrocytes, which reduced the cell’s ability to convert glucose into food. Without the extra energy, scientists found that the animals’ social interactions were reduced for up to 24 hours after THC was introduced into their bodies.

“Our study is the first to show that the decline in sociability sometimes associated with cannabis use is the result of altered glucose metabolism in the brain,” Marsicano said. “It also opens new avenues for research to find therapeutic solutions to alleviate some of the behavioral problems that arise from exposure to cannabis.” In addition, it shows the direct influence of astrocyte energy metabolism on behavior.”