Your Brain and THC

How the brain works has always been a particular source of wonder to me. I was fascinated in how the dynamics of literal brain chemistry can change the entire computational process. Recently I have been wondering more and more about what exactly "being high" means. What is happening on a biomolecular level when we ingest cannabis? What changes in neurons that causes things to be perceived so differently? This video wound up requiring the most reading I've ever done on a topic. The exact biomolecular mechanisms are nuanced and still not completely fleshed out. Especially with regards to processes beyond the dopaminergic pathways. But this should be a pretty comprehensive overview of getting you up to speed on what's happening. Used Sources: The endocannabinoid system - https://doi.org/10.1042/ebc20190086 Review of the Endocannabinoid System - https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.bpsc.2020.07.016 An Introduction to the Endogenous Cannabinoid System - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.028 Sustained Elevation of Dendritic Calcium Evokes Widespread Endocannabinoid Release and Suppression of Synapses onto Cerebellar Purkinje Cells - https://doi.org/10.1523%2FJNEUROSCI.1280-06.2006 Adenylyl Cyclase - http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/topics/cyclase.html NEUROTRANSMITTER IDENTIFICATION AND ACTION: IONOTROPIC RECEPTORS VERSUS METABOTROPIC RECEPTORS - https://openbooks.lib.msu.edu/introneuroscience1/chapter/neurotransmitter-action-ionotropic-receptors/ Endocannabinoid System and Exogenous Cannabinoids in Depression and Anxiety: A Review - https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fbrainsci13020325 Endocannabinoid modulation of dopamine neurotransmission - https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.neuropharm.2017.04.033 CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors and their Associated Proteins - https://doi.org/10.2174%2F092986710790980023 Voltage-dependent modulation of N-type calcium channels by G-protein β γsubunits - https://doi.org/10.1038/380255a0 VTA GABA Neurons at the Interface of Stress and Reward - https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2019.00078 Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors Are Expressed in a Subset of Dopamine Neurons and Underlie Cannabinoid-Induced Aversion, Hypoactivity, and Anxiolytic Effects in Mice - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1493-22.2022 Optogenetic brain-stimulation reward: A new procedure to re-evaluate the rewarding versus aversive effects of cannabinoids in dopamine transporter-Cre mice - https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fadb.13005