cannabis effect on brain.

Perception Changes

Cannabis Chemicals change how a person sees, hears, smells, tastes, n feels things. When someone uses marijuana, chemicals travel through the bloodstream n quickly attach to special places on the brain's nerve cells: the receptors who receive information from other nerve cells and from chemicals. When a receptor receives information, it causes changes in the nerve cell.

Active chemical: THC TetraHydroCannabinol

The chemical in marijuana that has a big impact on the brain is called THC -- tetrahydrocannabinol. Some areas of the brain have a lot of THC receptors, while others have very few or none. This helps researchers figure out exactly how THC works in the brain.

THC affects memory

One region of the brain that contains a lot of THC receptors is the hippocampus, which processes memory. When THC attaches to receptors in the hippocampus, it weakens short-term memory. The hippocampus also communicates with other brain regions that process new information into long-term memory. In the brain, under the influence of cannabis, new information may never register - and may be lost from memory.

THC influences emotions

In some people, cannabis can cause uncontrollable laughter one minute n paranoia the next. That's because THC also influences emotions, probably by acting on a brain region called the limbic system. THC can make something as simple as driving a car really dangerous.

THC medical applications

Some of THC's effects are useful in the world of medicine -- like preventing nausea and blocking pain. The trick is for scientists to get these results without the harmful effects.

Researchers recently found out the brain makes a chemical -- anandamide -- that attaches to the same receptors as THC. This discovery may lead to the development of medications that are chemically similar to THC but less harmful, and they may be used for treating nausea and pain.