Marijuana affects working memory (short-term memory ), reducing the ability to retain and temporarily process information to reason, understand and learn. According to a study just published in the prestigious journal Cell, the key is that the main psychoactive ingredient in this drug ( tetrahydrocannabinol or THC ) does not affect neurons but rather astrocytes , the glia cells that support them and they serve as "scaffolds." This implies that astrocytes, in addition to nourishing and protecting neurons, have an active role in the formation of memories.
In experiments with mice, the researchers showed that if astrocytes lack a type of receptor called CB1R, they do not suffer memory alterations after consuming a high dose of marijuana. However, if this receptor is removed from neurons, the effect of the drug remains the same. It is the first time that the effects of cannabis on short-term memory have been shown not to be directly regulated by neurons.
Now, the researchers intend to explore the activities of endogenous endocannabinoids , that is, substances similar to cannabis made by the body itself naturally. The endocannabinoid system is involved in appetite, pain, mood, memory, etc. "In almost any physiological function you can think of, endocannabinoids are likely to be involved in some way," the scientists explain.
