Marijuana & the Brain: Can Cannabis Cause Psychiatric Disorders? Neuroscientist weighs in

Of Nina Zdinjak

Our brains can be affected by what we consume and what we are exposed to. According to neuroscientist Dr. Yasmin Hurd during an online presentation she gave on April 20th. entitled “Neuroscience and Cannabis: Implications for Law and Policy,” which was part of the Project on Law and Applied Neuroscience, The Harvard Gazette reported.

Hurd is the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience and Director of the Addiction Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Cannabis is complex

“Cannabis contains over 500 chemicals, including over 140 cannabinoids, that have psychopharmacological activity to varying degrees,” Hurd said, emphasizing the plant’s complexity.

What complicates how cannabis interacts with the human brain has to do with the human body’s own cannabinoids, in addition to the plant’s numerous chemicals and cannabinoids. Hurd explained that endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, are neurotransmitters that monitor cell interaction.

“The endocannabinoid system is critical in regulating how cells talk to each other… it governs decision making, emotional responsiveness, and working memory,” Hurd explained. “Since consumed cannabis interacts with the same receptors that endogenous cannabinoids bind to, activation changes not only how we feel, but also how we think.”

Regarding intoxication from adult marijuana use, “If it were benign, no one would use it… If it feels intoxicating, that means it’s binding to a receptor and changing your brain.” The question is for how long — and does it increase your risk for psychiatric disorders?”

chicken or egg?

Hurd said about 30% of people who use marijuana regularly have a psychiatric disorder. Although she noted that the science isn’t clear on whether these individuals already had a personality disorder that they may be treating with cannabis, or whether cannabis helped provoke or worsen the disorder.

Marijuana, stress, pregnancy

Hurd was aware of the negative effects of marijuana on the developing brain, noting that the results are significant when pregnant women use cannabis in any form.

“The programming of the placenta is essential for the development of neurons and aberrations associated with psychiatric risks.”

RELATED: Can Cannabis Keep Your Brain Young?

Researchers have discovered a link between cannabis use during pregnancy linked to autism and childhood psychosis. A recent study added several more serious health issues to that list. A small study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at 322 mother-child pairs in New York City as part of a larger project on stress in pregnancy. The study found that cannabis use during pregnancy may affect the placenta and be associated with higher levels of anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity in children.

Photo by Dakota Corbin via Unsplash

Hurd also focused on stress in pregnancy, explaining that marijuana isn’t always the only cause of a negative effect on the fetus. “Stress creates a much stronger effect,” she said.

RELATED: Alcohol Vs. Weed: How the Two Affect Young Adult Brains

Hurd then went on to address the legal side of the story: “If we arrest women for smoking cannabis, we should arrest most of society for the stress” in pregnant women.

Cannabis in adolescence

dr Hurd paid special attention to consumer age, emphasizing that adolescence is a time of particular sensitivity, as the prefrontal cortex is the last part of the brain to fully mature in our early 20s. Because of this, in young people who use marijuana, this part of the brain may experience structural changes that are similar to changes observed under stressful circumstances.

THC stronger than ever

Hurd pointed out that what complicates cannabis consumption now is the variability and potency of the plant.

“Today we see such high concentrations of THC in cannabis that it overwhelms our endocannabinoids,” she said.

Many of Hurd’s concerns align with those of Dr. Nora Volkow, a psychiatrist and director of the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA). Volka said that although there is no scientific evidence that cannabis use is harmful when used occasionally and in moderate doses, she admitted to being concerned that higher rates of use could have “harmful effects even on the adult brain”. She also pointed out the risks that marijuana use poses to teens and pregnant women.

In the end, Dr. Hurd marijuana users to ensure that the cannabis they consume is not high in THC and contains CBD.

“Do your homework on what you’re putting into your body,” Hurd advised.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.