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motaman
old hand

Registered: 12/18/02
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Adolescent rats more rattled by marijuana
#5760066 - 06/17/06 09:11 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-745037.html
Adolescent rats more rattled by marijuana
By PAUL BONNER, The Herald-Sun June 16, 2006 7:05 pm
DURHAM -- Marijuana may inhibit memory and learning -- at least temporarily -- to a greater degree in adolescents than in adults, according to a study by researchers at Duke University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The research findings, published last week in the print edition of the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior and in an advance online edition in March, reported effects of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, in a series of experiments last year using rats.
Half of the nearly 200 rats were adolescent and half adult. All were male. When given THC, the adolescent rats took longer than the adults to remember where to swim in a shallow pool about 4 feet across to a small submerged platform.
When the platform was moved to a new location and raised above the water where the rats could see it, the younger ones still took longer to reach it.
In the memory test, adolescent rats took 64 percent longer than their elders to reach the platform. At higher concentrations of THC, the age difference in performance fell to 47 percent, as all the rats became more disoriented, the researchers said.
The effect disappeared when the rats were no longer under the influence of THC. Control rats that were not given THC learned to swim to the platform easily, said Young Ma Cha, the study's lead author.
An area of the brain similar in both rats and humans called the hippocampus is associated with spatial learning and memory. The researchers hypothesize that the effect of THC on it may be similar, said Scott Swartzwelder, a professor of psychiatry at Duke and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center who was the study's senior author.
"The whole goal of this research program is to better inform the public, to have as a point of discussion something more than a slogan or scare tactics," he said.
People's brains continue to develop and change throughout life, but young people's learning is foundational, the researchers said.
"I think the important thing is not to go too far in the sense of looking at 'How many joints is my son or daughter going to smoke before he or she becomes seriously impaired at studying?' " said Cha. "The idea is to look at the overall picture. Our younger rats, who model human adolescents, are showing serious impairment. That should definitely send a red flag to anyone who's thinking of using THC."
A representative of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Washington, D.C., said the study appeared to turn little if any new ground, since the effect of THC on cognitive performance and even brain scans of human subjects including adolescents has been researched extensively for decades.
Those studies consistently have found no significant long-term impairment, said Paul Armentano, a senior policy analyst with NORML.
"Certainly, NORML does not believe, as any responsible organization, that the use of intoxicating substances, including marijuana, is a good idea for children to engage in," Armentano added.
Neither would the organization dispute that marijuana affects memory and learning while people are under its effect, he said.
Other researchers participating in the study include Duke and VA researchers Aaron White, Cynthia Kuhn and Wilkie A. Wilson.
Now they're doing similar experiments with female rats, Cha and Swartzwelder said.
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CptnGarden
fuck this site
Registered: 05/13/04
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Re: Adolescent rats more rattled by marijuana [Re: motaman]
#5760926 - 06/17/06 03:49 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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the first time i smoked pot i was 6, and ive been smoking since then. ive experienced no learning problems at all, and i graduated HS with a 3.63 GPA. so maybe its just an issue in rats. why do we keep comparing the effects on rats to ourselfs?
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downforpot
Stranger

Registered: 06/25/01
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Re: Adolescent rats more rattled by marijuana [Re: CptnGarden]
#5763924 - 06/18/06 10:30 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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My GPA was actually lower before I started smoking weed. I graduated with a 3.9 from HS and I have a 3.8 in college.
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http://www.myspace.com/4th25 "And I don't care if he was handcuffed Then shot in his head All I know is dead bodies Can't fuck with me again"
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makaveli8x8
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Registered: 02/28/06
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Re: Adolescent rats more rattled by marijuana [Re: downforpot]
#5765168 - 06/18/06 05:44 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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think i seen your guys gf's on tv, they were carrying a ruler into court or someshit cann't remember it all myself.
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  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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microsporum
:(


Registered: 04/02/06
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Re: Adolescent rats more rattled by marijuana [Re: downforpot]
#5765173 - 06/18/06 05:47 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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I have to agree, the samething happened to me.
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