Is marijuana bad for your brain? - Anees Bahji

Prevoditelj: Mirela Ivoš Recezent: Sanda L

In 1970,

1970. godine marihuana je klasificirana kao droga broj jedan u SAD-u,

marijuana was classified as a schedule 1 drug in the United States:

the strictest designation possible,

najstroža moguća oznaka,

meaning it was completely illegal and had no recognized medical uses.

što znači da je bila potpuno ilegalna, a njen medicinski značaj nije bio prepoznat.

For decades, this view persisted

Desetljećima se ovo stajalište održalo

and set back research on the drug's mechanisms and effects.

i sputavalo istraživanja mehanizama i učinaka droge.

Today, marijuana’s therapeutic benefits are widely acknowledged,

Danas su terapeutske koristi marihuane široko priznate

and some nations have legalized medical use

i neke su države legalizirale njenu medicinsku uporabu ili tome teže.

or are moving in that direction.

But a growing recognition for marijuana’s medical value

Ali povećano priznanje medicinske koristi marihuane ne odgovara na pitanje:

doesn’t answer the question:

is recreational marijuana use bad for your brain?

"Je li rekreacijska upotreba marihuane loša za tvoj mozak?"

Marijuana acts on the body’s cannabinoid system,

Marihuana utječe na kanabinoidni tjelesni sustav,

which has receptors all over the brain and body.

koji ima receptore u cijelom mozgu i tijelu.

Molecules native to the body, called endocannabinoids,

Prirodne molekule u tijelu, zvane endokanabinoidi,

also act on these receptors.

također utječu na te receptore.

We don’t totally understand the cannabinoid system,

Ne razumijemo u potpunosti kanabinoidni sustav,

but it has one feature that provides a big clue to its function.

ali ima jednu značajku koja pruža veliki uvid u njegovu funkciju.

Most neurotransmitters travel from one neuron to the next

Većina neurotransmitera putuje od jednog do drugog neurona

through a synapse to propagate a message.

kroz sinapsu kako bi širili poruke.

But endocannabinoids travel in the opposite direction.

Ali endokanabinoidi putuju u suprotnom smjeru.

When a message passes from the one neuron to the next,

Kada se poruka prenese od jednog do drugog neurona,

the receiving neuron releases endocannabinoids.

prijemni neuron oslobađa endokanabinoide.

Those endocannabinoids travel backward

Ti endokanabinoidi putuju nazad utječući na neuron koji šalje poruku -

to influence the sending neuron—

essentially giving it feedback from the receiving neuron.

ustvari mu dajući povratne informacije prijemnog neurona.

This leads scientists to believe that the endocannabinoid system

To znanstvenike dovodi do uvjerenja da endokanabinoidni sustav

serves primarily to modulate other kinds of signals—

primarno služi moduliranju drugih vrsta signala,

amplifying some and diminishing others.

pojačavajući neke i smanjujući druge.

Feedback from endocannabinoids slows down rates of neural signaling.

Povratne informacije endokanabinoida usporavaju stope neuronske signalizacije.

That doesn’t necessarily mean

To ne znači nužno da se usporavaju ponašanje ili percepcija.

it slows down behavior or perception, though.

For example, slowing down a signal that inhibits smell

Naprimjer, usporavanje signala koji inhibira mirise

could actually make smells more intense.

zapravo može napraviti mirise intenzivnijima.

Marijuana contains two main active compounds,

Marihuana sadrži dva glavna aktivna spoja,

tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, and cannabidiol, or CBD.

tetrahidrokanabinol, ili THC, i kanabidiol, ili CBD.

THC is thought to be primarily responsible for marijuana’s psychoactive effects

THC se smatra primarno odgovornim za psihoaktivne učinke marihuane

on behavior, cognition, and perception,

na ponašanje, kogniciju i percepciju,

while CBD is responsible for the non-psychoactive effects.

dok je CBD odgovoran za nepsihoaktivne učinke.

Like endocannabinoids,

Poput endokanabinoida,

THC slows down signaling by binding to cannabinoid receptors.

THC usporava signaliziranje vezujući se za kanabinoidne receptore.

But it binds to receptors all over this sprawling, diffuse system

Ali on se veže za receptore u cijelom ovom širokom, difuznom sustavu odjednom,

at once,

whereas endocannabinoids are released in a specific place

dok se endokanabinoidi otpuštaju na određenom mjestu

in response to a specific stimulus.

kao odgovor na određeni podražaj.

This widespread activity coupled with the fact

Ova rasprostranjena aktivnost povezana s činjenicom da kanabinoidni sustav

that the cannabinoid system indirectly affects many other systems,

neizravno utječe na mnoge druge sustave

means that each person’s particular brain chemistry, genetics,

znači da specifični kemijski sastav mozga, genetika pojedinca

and previous life experience

te njegovo prethodno životno iskustvo značajno određuju kako će iskusiti drogu.

largely determine how they experience the drug.

That’s true much more so with marijuana than with other drugs

To se u većoj mjeri odnosi na marihuanu nego ostale droge,

that produce their effects through one or a few specific pathways.

koje svoje učinke iskazuju na jedan ili više specifičnih načina.

So the harmful effects, if any, vary considerably from person to person.

Tako štetni utjecaji, ako ikoji, značajno variraju od osobe do osobe.

And while we don’t know how exactly how marijuana

I iako ne znamo kako točno marihuana

produces specific harmful effects,

izaziva određene negativne učinke,

there are clear risk factors that can increase peoples’ likelihood

postoje izvjesni rizični faktori koji mogu povećati vjerojatnost

of experiencing them.

da će ih osobe doživjeti.

The clearest risk factor is age.

Najizvjesniji rizični faktor je dob.

In people younger than 25,

Kod ljudi mlađih od 25, kanabinoidni su receptori koncentriraniji

cannabinoid receptors are more concentrated in the white matter

u bijeloj tvari nego kod ljudi starijih od 25.

than in people over 25.

The white matter is involved in communication,

Bijela tvar uključena je u komunikaciju,

learning, memory, and emotions.

učenje, pamćenje i emocije.

Frequent marijuana use

Učestalo korištenje marihuane može omesti razvoj sustava bijele tvari

can disrupt the development of white matter tracts,

and also affect the brain’s ability to grow new connections.

i utjecati na sposobnost mozga da stvara nove veze.

This may damage long-term learning ability and problem solving.

To može oštetiti sposobnost dugoročnog učenja i rješavanja problema.

For now, it’s unclear how severe this damage can be

Zasad, nije jasno koliko ozbiljno ovo oštećenje može biti ni je li reverzibilno.

or whether it’s reversible.

Čak među mladim ljudima, rizik je veći što je osoba mlađa -

And even among young people,

the risk is higher the younger someone is—

much higher for a 15 year old than a 22 year old, for instance.

puno viši za osobe od 15 nego, primjerice, za osobe od 22 godine.

Marijuana can also cause hallucinations or paranoid delusions.

Marihuana također može uzrokovati halucinacije ili paranoidne deluzije.

Known as marijuana-induced psychosis,

Poznat kao psihoza izazvana marihuanom,

these symptoms usually subside when a person stops using marijuana.

ovaj skup simptoma obično jenjava kad osoba prestane uzimati marihuanu.

But in rare cases, psychosis doesn’t subside,

Ali u rijetkim slučajevima, psihoza ne prestaje,

instead unmasking a persistent psychotic disorder.

nego otkriva trajni psihotični poremećaj u podlozi.

A family history of psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia,

Obiteljska povijest psihotičnih poremećaja poput shizofrenije je najizvjesniji,

is the clearest, though not the only, risk factor for this effect.

ali ne i jedini rizični faktor ovakvog učinka.

Marijuana-induced psychosis is also more common among young adults,

Psihoza izazvana marihuanom također je češća među mladim odraslim osobama,

though it’s worth noting that psychotic disorders

iako vrijedi napomenuti da se psihotični poremećaji

usually surface in this age range anyway.

i inače u ovoj dobi počinju iskazivati.

What’s unclear in these cases is whether the psychotic disorder

Ono što ostaje nejasno u ovim slučajevima jest bi li se psihotični poremećaj

would have appeared without marijuana use—

pojavio i da osoba nije uzimala marihuanu -

whether marijuana use triggers it early,

je li marihuana okidač za ranije pojavljivanje,

is a catalyst for a tipping point that wouldn’t have been crossed otherwise,

katalizator za prelaženje linije koja se u suprotnom ne bi prešla,

or whether the reaction to marijuana is merely an indication

ili je reakcija na marihuanu samo indikator

of an underlying disorder.

poremećaja u podlozi.

In all likelihood, marijuana’s role varies from person to person.

U svakom slučaju, uloga marihuane varira od osobe do osobe.

At any age, as with many other drugs,

U svakoj dobi, kao i s mnogim drugim drogama,

the brain and body

mozak i tijelo postaju manje osjetljivi na marihuanu nakon ponovljene upotrebe,

become less sensitive to marijuana after repeated uses,

meaning it takes more to achieve the same effects.

što znači da je potrebno više za postizanje istih učinaka.

Fortunately, unlike many other drugs,

Nasreću, za razliku od drugih droga,

there’s no risk of fatal overdose from marijuana,

ne postoji rizik od predoziranja marihuanom,

and even heavy use doesn’t lead to debilitating

i čak i teška uporaba marihuane ne dovodi do iscrpljenja

or life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if use stops.

ili po život opasnih simptoma ustezanja po prestanku uporabe.

There are more subtle forms of marijuana withdrawal, though,

Doduše, postoje suptilniji oblici ustezanja od marihuane,

including sleep disturbances, irritability, and depressed mood,

uključujući poremećaje spavanja, iritabilnost i depresivno raspoloženje,

which pass within a few weeks of stopping use.

koji se povlače kroz nekoliko tjedana od prestanka uporabe.

So is marijuana bad for your brain?

Dakle, je li marihuana loša za tvoj mozak?

It depends who you are.

Ovisi o tome tko si ti.

But while some risk factors are easy to identify,

Ali iako su neki rizični faktori lakši za odrediti, drugi nisu dobro razumljivi,

others aren’t well understood—

which means there’s still some possibility of experiencing negative effects,

što znači da i dalje postoji mogućnost doživljavanja negativnih učinaka,

even if you don’t have any of the known risk factors.

čak i ako nemaš nijedan poznati rizični faktor.