Is marijuana bad for your brain? - Anees Bahji

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

In 1970,

Godine 1970, marihuana je klasifikovana kao droga prve kategorije u SAD-u,

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

the strictest designation possible,

a to je najstroža moguća oznaka

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

i znači da je droga u potpunosti ilegalna i nema prepoznatljivu medicinsku korist.

For decades, this view persisted

Ovo stanovište je decenijama opstajalo

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

i odlagalo je istraživanja o mehanizmu i efektima ove droge.

Today, marijuana’s therapeutic benefits are widely acknowledged,

Danas su naširoko priznata terapeutska svojstva marihuane,

and some nations have legalized medical use

a neke države su u procesu ili su već legalizovale njenu upotrebu u medicini.

or are moving in that direction.

But a growing recognition for marijuana’s medical value

Međutim, rastuće prihvatanje marihuane u medicini ne odgovara na pitanje:

doesn’t answer the question:

is recreational marijuana use bad for your brain?

da li rekreaciona upotreba marihuane škodi mozgu?

Marijuana acts on the body’s cannabinoid system,

Marihuana deluje na kanabinoidni sistem u telu,

which has receptors all over the brain and body.

koji ima receptore po čitavom mozgu i telu.

Molecules native to the body, called endocannabinoids,

Izvorni molekuli u našem telu, koji se nazivaju endokanabinoidi,

also act on these receptors.

takođe utiču na ove receptore.

We don’t totally understand the cannabinoid system,

Ne razumemo u potpunosti kanabinoidni sistem,

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

ali on ima jednu osobinu koja pruža značajan uvid u njegovu funkciju.

Most neurotransmitters travel from one neuron to the next

Većina neurotransmitera putuje od neurona do neurona

through a synapse to propagate a message.

kroz sinapse kako bi preneli poruku.

But endocannabinoids travel in the opposite direction.

Međutim, endokanabinoidi putuju u suprotnom smeru.

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

Kada poruka pređe sa jednog neurona na drugi,

the receiving neuron releases endocannabinoids.

neuron primalac oslobađa endokanabinoide.

Those endocannabinoids travel backward

Ovi endokanabinoidi putuju unazad kako bi uticali na neurona pošiljaoca -

to influence the sending neuron—

essentially giving it feedback from the receiving neuron.

u suštini pružajući mu povratnu informaciju od neurona primaoca.

This leads scientists to believe that the endocannabinoid system

Ovo navodi naučnike da veruju da endokanabinoidni sistem

serves primarily to modulate other kinds of signals—

pre svega služi radi moduliranja drugih vidova signala -

amplifying some and diminishing others.

neke naglašava, a neke umanjuje.

Feedback from endocannabinoids slows down rates of neural signaling.

Povratna informacija od endokanabinoida usporava brzinu nervne signalizacije.

That doesn’t necessarily mean

To, pak, nužno ne znači da usporava ponašanje ili percepciju.

it slows down behavior or perception, though.

For example, slowing down a signal that inhibits smell

Na primer, zbog usporavanja signala koji inhibira miris,

could actually make smells more intense.

mirisi bi mogli da postanu jači.

Marijuana contains two main active compounds,

Marihuana sadrži dve glavne aktivne supstance:

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 najzaslužnijim za psihoaktivne efekte marihuane

on behavior, cognition, and perception,

na ponašanje, spoznaju i opažanje,

while CBD is responsible for the non-psychoactive effects.

dok je CBD odgovoran za nepsihoaktivne efekte.

Like endocannabinoids,

Poput endokanabinoida,

THC slows down signaling by binding to cannabinoid receptors.

THC usporava telesne signale vezujući se za kanabinoidne receptore.

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

Međutim, vezuje se istovremeno širom ovog prostranog, difuznog sistema,

at once,

whereas endocannabinoids are released in a specific place

dok se endokanabinoidi oslobađaju na određenom mestu

in response to a specific stimulus.

kao odgovor na određeni stimulans.

This widespread activity coupled with the fact

Ova raširena aktivnost, zajedno sa činjenicom da kanabinoidni sistem

that the cannabinoid system indirectly affects many other systems,

indirektno utiče na razne druge sisteme,

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

znači da kod svake osobe njena naročita hemijska struktura mozga, genetika

and previous life experience

i prethodna životna iskustva uveliko određuju iskustvo sa drogom.

largely determine how they experience the drug.

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

Ovo mnogo više važi za marihuanu nego za druge droge

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

koje proizvode efekte putem jedne ili više specifičnih nervnih veza.

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

Stoga štetni uticaji, ako postoje, značajno variraju od osobe do osobe.

And while we don’t know how exactly how marijuana

Iako ne znamo tačno kako marihuana

produces specific harmful effects,

proizvodi naročita štetna dejstva,

there are clear risk factors that can increase peoples’ likelihood

postoje jasni faktori rizika koji mogu da povećaju šanse kod ljudi

of experiencing them.

da ih iskuse.

The clearest risk factor is age.

Najjasniji faktor rizika su godine.

In people younger than 25,

Kod ljudi mlađih od 25 godina, kanabinoidni receptori su zgusnutiji

cannabinoid receptors are more concentrated in the white matter

u beloj moždanoj masi nego kod ljudi starijih od 25 godina.

than in people over 25.

The white matter is involved in communication,

Bela masa je zadužena za komunikaciju,

learning, memory, and emotions.

učenje, pamćenje i osećanja.

Frequent marijuana use

Česta upotreba marihuane može da poremeti razvoj trakta bele mase

can disrupt the development of white matter tracts,

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

i takođe može da utiče na sposobnost mozga da razvija nove veze.

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

Ovo može dugoročno da ošteti sposobnost učenja i rešavanja problema.

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

Zasad nije jasno koliko su ozbiljni ovi efekti i mogu li da se izleče.

or whether it’s reversible.

And even among young people,

A čak i među mlađim ljudima, rizik je sve veći što je osoba mlađa -

the risk is higher the younger someone is—

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

mnogo je veći kod 15-godišnjaka nego kod 22-godišnjaka, na primer.

Marijuana can also cause hallucinations or paranoid delusions.

Marihuana može i da izazove halucinacije i paranoidne obmane.

Known as marijuana-induced psychosis,

Poznati kao psihoza uzrokovana marihuanom,

these symptoms usually subside when a person stops using marijuana.

ovi simptomi se obično povuku kada osoba prestane da koristi marihuanu.

But in rare cases, psychosis doesn’t subside,

Međutim, u retkim slučajevima, psihoza se ne povlači,

instead unmasking a persistent psychotic disorder.

već razotkriva trajni psihotični poremećaj.

A family history of psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia,

Porodična istorija psihotičnih poremećaja poput šizofrenije je najjasniji,

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

iako ne i jedini faktor rizika za ove efekte.

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

Psihoza uzrokovana marihuanom je takođe prisutnija kod mladih ljudi,

though it’s worth noting that psychotic disorders

iako je važno istaći da se psihotični poremećaji

usually surface in this age range anyway.

obično svakako ispoljavaju u ovom uzrastu.

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

U ovim slučajevima nije jasno da li bi se psihotični poremećaji

would have appeared without marijuana use—

pojavili i bez upotrebe marihuane -

whether marijuana use triggers it early,

da li upotreba marihuane ubrzava njihovo ispoljavanje,

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

da li je katalizator za prelomnu tačku do koje inače ne bi došlo

or whether the reaction to marijuana is merely an indication

ili je reakcija na marihuanu tek nagoveštaj

of an underlying disorder.

postojećeg poremećaja.

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

Sve su šanse da uloga marihuane varira od osobe do osobe.

At any age, as with many other drugs,

U bilo kom uzrastu, kao i kod mnogih droga,

the brain and body

mozak i telo postaju manje osetljivi na ponovnu upotrebu marihuane,

become less sensitive to marijuana after repeated uses,

meaning it takes more to achieve the same effects.

što znači da je potrebno uzeti više kako bi se postigli isti efekti.

Fortunately, unlike many other drugs,

Srećom, nasuprot raznim drugim drogama,

there’s no risk of fatal overdose from marijuana,

ne postoji rizik od predoziranja na smrt od marihuane,

and even heavy use doesn’t lead to debilitating

a čak ni česta upotreba ne vodi do iscrpljujućih

or life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if use stops.

ili simptoma odvikavanja opasnih po život.

There are more subtle forms of marijuana withdrawal, though,

Postoje, pak, suptilniji simptomi odvikavanja od marihuane,

including sleep disturbances, irritability, and depressed mood,

uključujući poremećaj sna, razdražljivost i depresiju,

which pass within a few weeks of stopping use.

koji prolaze u roku od nekoliko nedelja od prestanka upotrebe.

So is marijuana bad for your brain?

Dakle, da li marihuana škodi vašem mozgu?

It depends who you are.

Zavisi od vas.

But while some risk factors are easy to identify,

Međutim, iako je neke faktore rizika lako prepoznati, drugi nisu dobro izučeni -

others aren’t well understood—

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

a to znači da i dalje postoji šansa da ćete imati negativne efekte,

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

čak iako nemate nijedan poznati faktor rizika.