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tdubz



Registered: 02/26/12
Posts: 5,586
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How Your Cells Get You High 2
#23793037 - 11/01/16 09:03 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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https://motherboard.vice.com/read/start-rolling-your-blunts-now-we-know-how-your-cells-get-you-high?trk_source=homepage-lede
Put down that joint for a second and ask yourself, how do you actually get high?
Scientists finally understand one more key part of the process. A new study in the journal Cell recently laid out the structure of the CB1 cell receptor, which binds to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical in weed that gets you high.
The CB1 receptor is part of a greater regulatory system in the body known as the endocannabinoid system, which monitors mood, sleep, appetite, pain sensation, immunity, and several other functions. This endogenous system of cannabinoid receptor cells was only discovered in the 1980s, but has played a vital role in medical research ever since, according to the study authors from institutions including ShanghaiTech University and Northeastern University.
With this new study, scientists now know that the CB1 receptor, responsible for getting your body high on THC, is a three-dimensional crystalline structure. While the receptor is present throughout the body, it's most commonly found in the central nervous system, which is why it's so critical to getting high.
"Suddenly we've been given the design of the building," said Dr. Mark Ware, vice chair of McGill University's task-force on cannabis, who was not an author of the study. "We can work out ways to get in the building, we know where the windows and doors and stairs are, and we know of how the building is structured now."
Understanding the nuances of the CB1 receptor is vital to understanding the difference in safety between naturally occurring cannabinoids in the pot plant and synthetic cannabinoids in drugs like Spice or K2. While both natural and synthetic cannabinoids act upon CB1 receptors for a psychoactive effect, the first have proven to be completely safe while the latter have been toxic and fatal.
"While the overdose of THC/marijuana has not been documented, there have been cases of severe and even deadly responses to the ingestion of such synthetic mixtures," the study researchers wrote. "It remains unclear as to why THC can have such a high safety margin, while the synthetic cannabinoid constituents can prove toxic with varying severities of serious side effects."
Knowing the structure of the CB1 receptor offers enhanced understanding of the molecular basis for its physiological functioning, according to the researchers. With knowledge of CB1's structure, medical marijuana and pharmaceutical development can also better design medicines or cannabinoid compounds to more effectively target the receptor.
In the meantime, now you know that getting high is about more than just inhaling.
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: How Your Cells Get You High [Re: tdubz] 1
#23793490 - 11/02/16 12:22 AM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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So awesome to picture a crystalline receptor in the body processing my cannabis
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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Dr. Funtime
Wipes Sideways

Registered: 02/04/13
Posts: 134
Last seen: 7 days, 1 hour
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I was hoping for more of an explanation in the physical sense. We all know drugs work by activating certain receptors, but what does that really mean? We know what a drug molecule looks like, what the hell does a receptor look like? Is a receptor 1 cell? Multiple cells? Does every cell have receptors? What is actually happening when a drug binds to a receptor, and why does it stop? As far as I am aware a drug is not destroyed by the receptors but by other means. If this is true I would presume that once a chemical bond is formed with the receptor then it would never break down without external forces acting on it and you would never sober up. While this is clearly false there are drugs like oxymorphazone that will permanently bond to receptors. What is the force that detaches the chemical from the receptor so that it can get broken down by the liver/kidneys, and how do some drugs resist this? Also it seems like there is a step missing. 1. chemical binds to receptors 2. ????????? 3. you get high
Far more questions then answers, not even getting into all the questions surrounding drugs and the consciousness.
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: How Your Cells Get You High [Re: Dr. Funtime]
#23795861 - 11/02/16 08:53 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I know in the case of some MAOI's they permanently bind with enzymes in the brain which causes some of their effects to persist until the brain replaces said enzymes.
I have heard this can take at least 2-3 weeks and is why people on many antidepressants have to avoid so many different things to stay safe...
On the other hand natural MAOI's like syrian rue and caapi only partially bind to the enzymes and last from 6-12 hours or so.
All this article really says about the receptors though is that they are a "3d crystalline structure" who knows how long it will be before we map them out.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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durian_2008
Cornucopian Eating an Elephant



Registered: 04/02/08
Posts: 16,693
Loc: Raccoon City
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Re: How Your Cells Get You High [Re: Dr. Funtime]
#23823804 - 11/11/16 06:15 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Dr. Funtime said: Also it seems like there is a step missing. 1. chemical binds to receptors
That is all. You're activating a natural faculty.
Or else, the discussion is along the lines of banning certain sounds, colors, tastes, and textures.
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