How Cannabis Improves Memory

Cannabis and Memory

Cannabis affecting the endocannabinoid system plays a role in memory and cognitive functioning. This is due to CB1 receptors in the endocannabinoid system contributing to retrograde signaling in the brain. Researchers are studying how this relation can aid in treatment to depression and PTSD.

A main study to discover this relation is from mice that were engineered to not have the CB1 receptor. The mice were impaired in short-term and long-term extinction of memories. Their cognition of new hidden mazes also showed their disability in learning.(Source)

Extinction of memories may seem at first as a bad thing. However, our brain does this continually to allow us to see new avenues of thinking. In the mice example the CB1 deficient mice continued to look for the old way out of their cage. They weren't able to allow themselves to discover a new door. Depression and PTSD may improve the ability to forget long term memories.(Source)

The ability to improve cognitive thinking has given cannabis a reputation to flourish creative thinking. CB1 receptors play a role with use of marijuana to increase dopamine levels. This change allows for white noise of the environment to be reduced to give rise to focus and concentration.(Source)

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_and_memory

http://veteransformedicalmarijuana.org/content/general-use-cannabis-ptsd-symptoms

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2571074/

San Diego's Comic-Con, Welcome Creativity

San Diego's Comic Con and the Creative Mind with Cannabis

As a person that worked in the video game industry, I loved going to San Diego's Comic Con for the people watching, but most importantly the talented artists. Going down the aisles of the convention center it was daunting how much work went into the amazing detail and imagination of the comics and displays.

Let me tell you how a typical day at a video game company went. People roll in at 10am – closer to 11. At noon of course was lunch, and why not go to the gym while your at it... make it a two hour lunch. Followed by a sleepy afternoon from the big lunch. But wait a minute, 4:20 rolled around. Empty; the office was empty. 4:40 – 8pm? Perfection. Much of the work got accomplished at this time. Why? The mind needed to be relaxed and opened to imagination and discovery.

Now not all workers were driven by marijuana, but from what I could see, many needed a way to stop the analytical mind and open the artistic mind. To sit at a desk can be boring, but not when the mind is active with many ideas and thoughts the time flies by with great exploration and development.

Marijuana has been known by many artists to allow open creativity, increased pattern recognition, and insight. Jonah Lehrer in “Psychiatry Research” states that Marijuana does a hyper-priming to allow the brain to make association patterns with things that are further apart. In layman's terms, it allows a musician or an artist to get rid of the writers block and allow the brain to explore and make connections that may not have been seen when it was more analytical.

The United States is at the forefront of imagination in movies, games and technology gadgets. Comic Con attracts this treasure in our society of new ideas, detail to the non analytical brain and beauty of the open mind. San Diego is so fortunate to host such a wonderful convention.

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By an Anonymous Artist that worked for 12 years in the video game industry, making Xbox and PS2 games for a major company