Throughout the years, the use of both recreational and medical marijuana has greatly increased within our society. More communities, celebrity figures, and even some political figures have begun to advocate for the legalization of marijuana and more flexible laws regarding marijuana. Within all these prospective areas, the biggest main thoughts for advocating for marijuana’s legalization tend to be regarding mental health or plain recreation/fun reasons. However, there is one area not many people think of when discussing legalizing marijuana, and that is its effect on reducing how intense seizures are and epilepsy.
In a review article, ‘Endocannabinoids at the synapse and beyond: implications for neuropsychiatric disease pathophysiology and treatment,’ the authors Andrew Scheyer, Farhana Yasmin, Saptarnab, and Sachin Patel discus what exactly endocannabinoids (eBCs) are and how it is relevant to epilepsy. Based on the authors definition, endocannabinoids are “lipid neuromodulators that suppress neurotransmitter release, reduce postsynaptic excitability, activate astrocyte signaling, and control cellular respirations.” To put that into simpler terms, endocannabinoids can also be thought of as fatty acid analogs that are metabolites (substances made or used when our body breaks down food, drugs/chemicals, or even our own tissue) of membrane lipids. It was found that our eBCs system is largely implicated in the pathophysiology of seizures and epilepsy and that the one of our eBCs receptors, CB1Rs, have been shown to regulate and reduce epileptiform activity. Epileptiform activity is commonly seen when a seizure is taking place or about to happen. Alongside this information it was also revealed that 2-AG, a type of endocannabinoid, augmentation decreases excitability in the hippocampus by suppressing input to hippocampus granule cells, overall reducing the intensity of seizures. Seizures and epilepsy activity can be greatly regulated throughout the use of marijuana by reducing its intensity or strength of an individual’s seizure. Even though this is a very unconventional method that many of us would never imagine, this can provide great results and further medical research. With all this notable work, we still must consider the possible consequences as well.
In a similar the web article ‘Endocannabinoid Release Calms Epileptic Seizures but Also Leads to Adverse After-Effects,’ the author (who is sadly unknown), discusses how Stanford University School of Medicine found evidence supporting how the release of 2-AG is related to the dampening of seizure intensity, along with the possible effects brought on by it. 2-AG, which as I stated earlier is an endocannabinoid compound, are our brains internal versions of the psychoactive chemicals in marijuana. While the release of 2-AG reduces the intensity of seizures, it was also discovered that due to our brain’s rapid breakdown of 2-AG, this results in a cascade of biochemical reactions focused within blood vessels and constricts the brains air and blood flow. When this occurs, it can result in amnesia and disorientation within an individual. Despite having it side effects that should not be ignored, the possibilities endocannabinoids encompass can further our medical findings, while also helping destigmatize the negative connotation surrounding marijuana wholly.
In our present time, the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana has brought about a great movement in both the medical and personal world. Further research on how marijuana and endocannabinoids play a role in not only epilepsy and seizures, but also an array of areas such as stress, diet, and neurodevelopment can provide wonderful societal advancements. Through this, we can try all the possibilities to try and reduce the pain and discomfort the millions of people face from epilepsy, alongside other medical issues in our near future. So even though marijuana may not be everyone’s favorite topic, we cannot deny the contributions it has had in individual’s lives regarding feelings, such as pain and our medical world.
References:
(2021). Endocannabinoid Release Calms Epileptic Seizures but Also Leads to Adverse After-Effects. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. https://www.genengnews.com/news/endocannabinoid-release-calms-epileptic-seizures-but-also-leads-to-adverse-after-effects/#:~:text=When%20excitatory%20neurons%2C%20secreting%20chemical,to%20chill%20out%20a%20little.
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