Alcohol is a substance whose consumption, like other drugs, increases dopamine levels in the reward areas of the brain, which generates pleasure; and at the same time it prevents the reuptake of serotonin in the brain , which has a positive effect on our mood. But, simultaneously with this activation, alcohol also works as a depressant substance for the nervous system by activating the GABAergic pathway and also interferes in the memory settlement processes.
Marijuana's main neuroactive substance is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which activates the cannabinoid system and therefore has an anxiolytic function . This, together with the increase in dopamine levels that it causes, means that the consumption of marijuana can initially have a relaxing and pleasant effect. But, like all drugs, the use of marijuana has negative effects which can be, among others, difficulty in settling memory during use, and even panic attacks can be triggered if a high dose is consumed.
To all this we must add that, as both drugs are neuroactive, the simultaneous consumption of alcohol and marijuana causes the negative consequences of the two substances to overlap and this can be very dangerous.
About Neurocosas:
Directed and presented by Pablo Barrecheguren, Neurocosas is a scientific dissemination project carried out by Big Van, Scientists on Wheels and Very Interesting, financed with the help of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).
