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Cannabis, Psilocybin, Brainwaves, And Sleep
How Cannabis & Psilocybin Affects Regions Of The Brain
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
If you want to test your knowledge to see how much you learned and how quickly, I made a quiz on the contents of this page which can be found here: Quiz On Cannabis, Psilocybin, Neuroscience & Sleep It's based on the facts on this page, and there's an answer key on the page with the academic sources cited there as well. Look up "I can't believe it's not youtube" on Rumble, that's my channel. =)
Introductory facts: "CB1 receptors are widely expressed throughout the CNS(central nervous system), including the cerebellum, hippocampus, and hypothalamus"[14] CB1 receptors are: "CB1 receptors are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) abundant in neurons, in which they modulate neurotransmission. The CB1 receptor influence on memory and learning is well recognized, and disease states associated with CB1 receptors are observed in addiction disorders, motor dysfunction, schizophrenia, and in bipolar, depression, and anxiety disorders. Beyond the brain, CB1 receptors also function in liver and adipose tissues, vascular as well as cardiac tissue, reproductive tissues and bone."[20] Although there are signs of mild cognitive impairment in chronic cannabis users there is little evidence that such impairments are irreversible, or that they are accompanied by drug-induced neuropathology. A proportion of regular users of cannabis develop tolerance and dependence on the drug. Some studies have linked chronic use of cannabis with an increased risk of psychiatric illness, but there is little evidence for any causal link"[19]
Cannabis and sleep cycles: Let's start off with a direct quote from a scholarly source: "A recent experimental study in animals suggests that vaporization (which is a recommended route for medical purposes) of Cannabis with high THC and negligible CBD, promotes NREM sleep."[1] What is NREM sleep? "The human body cycles through 2 phases of sleep, (1) rapid eye movement (REM) and (2) nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which is further divided into 3 stages—N1 to N3. Each phase and stage of sleep includes variations in muscle tone, brain wave patterns, and eye movements. The body cycles through all stages approximately 4 to 6 times each night, averaging 90 minutes for each cycle "[2] I like to break down each individual aspect of how things work so you and I can better understand it. I'm as much here to teach as I am to learn. According to the University Of Michigan: "While marijuana may have benefits in the short term, in the long run, experts believe it could actually make your sleep worse."[21] This finding illustrates the Arndt Schultz Law further.[11] How you use a drug, determines whether or not it is beneficial, or detrimental to your health.[11] Tolerance breaks are a necessary way of making sure you don't throw any of your bodies systems off balance, or downregulate your cannabinoid system too much... Moderation is key for optimal performance of any drug or medicine!
Cannabis & Psilocybin As Pre-Oneirogens: A scientist named Claude rifat has been on the forefront of Cannabis research for many years.[9] Claude considers pre-oneirogens as substances that increase the production of hypnagogic imagery as well as hypnopompic imagery.[9] I've written a full blog on the subject here: Cannabis, Psilocybin, And Researcher Claude Rifat I've had mixed experiences using Cannabis while trying to embrace more vivid dreams, and the recollection thereof, and it's my observed belief that moderation is the key to using Cannabis as an oneirogen, as I feel that larger doses of the drug may inhibit the dreaming mind, while small doses stimulate it. O.G. Observation: I find Cannabis mixes well with Passion flower for stimulating dreams. I feel that moderation is the key to using Cannabis period, and viewing it as a sacred medicine rather than a silly way to "get high". Cannabis works better in small doses with little to no tolerance to the drug by the user. I'm noticing a lot of scholarly sources are failing to conduct their experiments with cannabis and other drugs in multiple dosages, because dosage is everything and can mean the difference between positive results, and negative ones, also known as the Arndt Schultz Law.[11][12] For example, one academic source states that: "Indeed, frequent cannabis users (≥5 uses/week for 3 months and lifetime use ≥2 years) are reported to have shorter total sleep duration, less slow wave sleep, worse sleep efficiency, and longer sleep onset compared to controls."[10] The findings of this research goes on to conclude that: "Investigations have shown that the major psychoactive compound in cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can decrease sleep onset latency in naïve users"[10] This indicates that abusing the drug has negative impacts, while using it moderately and responsibly has positive impacts.
The Circadian Rythmn: The pineal gland synthesizes melatonin, which controls your circadian rythmn.[5] "The circadian rhythm regulates the sleep cycle, which is driven by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus."[2] This brings us to our next two questions: What is the suprachiasmatic nucleus? and What is the hypothalamus? "The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a bilateral structure located in the anterior part of the hypothalamus. It is the central pacemaker of the circadian timing system and regulates most circadian rhythms in the body"[3] Next question, What is the Hypothalamus? "The hypothalamus is an area of the brain that produces hormones that control: Body temperature, Heart rate, Hunger, Mood, Release of hormones from many glands, especially the pituitary gland, Sex drive, Sleep, and Thirst."[4] Another important fact that I want to quote from the National Library Of Medicine is that: "Disruptions in the SCN circadian system have been found to correlate with various mood disorders and sleep disorders, detailed in this article."[3]
How Cannabis Affects Brain Waves: Let's start this segment off with a very informative quote directly from an authoritative scholarly source: "The findings suggest that: 1) cannabis users exhibited increased cortical activation during rest compared to controls (increased theta, beta, and gamma synchrony and reduced delta synchrony), 2) cannabis users exhibited greater coherence in the frontal regions compared to controls, 3) cannabis users exhibited significantly decreased mean degree in the posterior regions in the delta, theta, and gamma bands and increased clustering coefficient in the frontal regions in the delta, theta, and alpha bands compared to controls, and 4) cannabis use variables were correlated with spectral power (specifically delta, theta, and alpha) and functional connectivity measures, indicating that EEG signals in specific frequencies may be electrophysiological signatures of cannabis use."[23] To get a solid understanding of what is happening in the mind of a cannabis user in terms of brain waves, I am going to break this down even further. What are Beta waves? "Beta waves are high-frequency, low-amplitude brain waves that are commonly observed in an awaken state. They are involved in conscious thought and logical thinking, and tend to have a stimulating effect. Having the right amount of beta waves allows us to focus"[24] What are Gamma waves? "Gamma Waves refer to neural oscillations in the frequency range of approximately 30–100 Hz. These waves indicate the synchronization of different nerve cells working together in a network to carry out specific cognitive or motor functions"[25] and what are Theta waves? "With a frequency range of 4-8 Hz, theta waves are typically associated with deep relaxation, meditation, and the early stages of sleep. "[26]
How Cannabis Affects Melatonin Production: This brings us to our next topic. I want to thoroughly understand what Cannabis(and Psilocybin) do to the brain, so I thought we would dive into how it affects melatonin production. According to the National Library Of Medicine, Cannabis: "Cannabis alters the sleep–wake cycle, increases the production of melatonin, and can inhibit the arousal system by activating cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors in the basal forebrain and other wake-promoting centers."[10]
"Transitions between sleep and wake states are influenced by multiple brain structures, including: Hypothalamus: controls onset of sleep Hippocampus: memory region active during dreaming Amygdala: emotion center active during dreaming Thalamus: prevents sensory signals from reaching the cortex Reticular formation: regulates the transition between sleep and wakefulness Pons: helps initiate REM sleep. The extraocular movements that occur during REM are due to the activity of PPRF (paramedian pontine reticular formation/conjugate gaze center)."[2]
Important facts about each one of these regions of the brain:
The Hypothalamus: First things first: What is the Hypothalamus? "The hypothalamus is an area of the brain that produces hormones that control: Body temperature, Heart rate, Hunger, Mood, Release of hormones from many glands, especially the pituitary gland, Sex drive, Sleep, and Thirst."[4] "Marijuana and cannabinoids have been shown to exert profound effects on hypothalamic regulatory functions and reproduction in both experimental animals and humans."[13] "Cannabinoid administration decreases heat production by altering hypothalamic neurotransmitter production."[13] Another scholarly source tells us that: "Cannabinoids modulate energy homeostasis and decrease cognitive arousal, possibly by acting on hypothalamic neurons including those that synthesize melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) or hypocretin/orexin.[14] Because the hypothalamus is tied in with controlling the onset of sleep, that tells me that it somehow works with the pineal gland(which synthesizes melatonin to induce sleep).
The Hippocampus: "Adult neurogenesis is an important therapeutic target in treating neurological disorders. Adult neurogenesis takes place in two regions of the brain: Subventricular zone and dentate gyrus in the hippocampus.[6] Neurogenesis is: "Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are formed in the brain."[7] What does the research say about Cannabis and how it affects the Hippocampus? "Continued heavy cannabis use did not affect hippocampal neuroanatomical changes in early adulthood. This contrasts with prior evidence on alterations in this region in samples of older adult cannabis users. In young adults using cannabis at this level, cannabis use may not be heavy enough to affect hippocampal neuroanatomy."[8] Interestingly, "The hippocampus is a brain region with one of the highest densities of cannabinoid receptors (Glass et al., 1997), and may thus be particularly vulnerable to the effects of cannabinoid exposure"[8] I saw on a PBS documentary that Cannabis helps treat PTSD by helping sufferers "forget" their trauma.. It acts as medicine that induces a sort of "hempful selective forgetting", so to speak. Anyway, I hypothesize that there's a connection between that and the hippocampus producing the highest density of receptor sites.
The Amygdala: Even without looking it up I know that the Amygdala is responsible for our fear response I do believe. "The amygdala contributes to these fear circuits in two ways: directly, by detecting the threat on an unconscious level and regulating behavioral and physiological responses, and indirectly, through cognitive systems, in the emergence of a conscious feeling of fear."[15] Because the Amygdala is responsible for emotions, the following fact fits in perfect here: "Increased endocannabinoid signaling is associated with reduced stress response, improved emotion regulation, and increased reward signaling"[22]
The Thalamus: What does the thalamus do in the brain? Answer: "The thalamus is composed of different nuclei that each serve a unique role, ranging from relaying sensory and motor signals, as well as regulation of consciousness and alertness."[16] You may remember learning about the cerebral cortex in my other blog titled: "How Psychedelics Affect The Brain", where I discuss how these regions of the brain are all tied in with your imagination, unconscious, and all of that. This is important to know because it is connected to the cerebral cortex. "The thalamus is a paired gray matter structure of the diencephalon located near the center of the brain. It is above the midbrain or mesencephalon, allowing for nerve fiber connections to the cerebral cortex in all directions"[16]
The Reticular formation: What is the Reticular formation? Answer: "The reticular formation is a complex network of brainstem nuclei and neurons that serve as a major integration and relay center for many vital brain systems to coordinate functions necessary for survival. The structure of the reticular formation forms a net-like connection of nuclei and neurons, hence its name "reticular," which correlates to its function of integrating, coordinating, and influencing various regions of the central and peripheral nervous systems, both rostrally and caudally through a series of tracts"[17] Because the reticular formation regulates the transition between sleep and wakefullness, that tells me that it plays a role in the hypnopompic and hypnagogic imagery that people experience in waking and sleeping states(during the transitional states). Once you learn about each individual part of the mind, you can start to see connections and get a much better understanding of what is happening between your two ears.
The Pons: What is the Pons system? Answer: "The pons is the portion of the brainstem between the midbrain above and the medulla oblongata below."[18]
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Academic citations:
[1] Mondino, Alejandra, et al. "Effects of cannabis consumption on sleep." Cannabinoids and Sleep: Molecular, Functional and Clinical Aspects (2021): 147-162.
[2] Physiology, Sleep Stages | Aakash K. Patel; Vamsi Reddy; Karlie R. Shumway; John F. Araujo. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/
[3] Neuroanatomy, Nucleus Suprachiasmatic Melinda A. Ma; Elizabeth H. Morrison. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546664/
[4] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002380.htm
[5] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4334454/
[6] Chinese Traditional Medicine and Adult Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus, Endong Zhang 1,2, Jiangang Shen 6, Kwok Fai So 2,3,4,5, PMCID: PMC4003705 PMID: 24860729 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4003705/
[7] https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/brain-physiology/what-neurogenesis
[8] Longitudinal study of hippocampal volumes in heavy cannabis users | L Koenders 1,✉, V Lorenzetti 2,–4, L de Haan 1, C Suo 3, WAM Vingerhoets 5,6, W van den Brink 1, RW Wiers 7, CJ Meijer 1, MWJ Machielsen 1, AE Goudriaan 8,9, DJ Veltman 10, M Yücel 3,4, J Cousijn 7 | PMCID: PMC5544121 PMID: 28741422 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5544121/
[10] Recent legalization of cannabis use: effects on sleep, health, and workplace safety. | Nicole P Bowles 1, Maya X Herzig 1, Steven A Shea 1, PMCID: PMC5656354 PMID: 29089789 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5656354/
[11] Sharma, Rajneesh Kumar. "Arndt Schultz Law and Its Applications."
[12] Law, Arndt–Schultz. "Homeopathy:: Arndt Schultz Law and its applications in Homoeopathy."
[13] Effects of cannabinoids on hypothalamic and reproductive function Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Teramo, Piazza A. Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy. Maccarrone@vet.unite.it PMID: 16596787 DOI: 10.1007/3-540-26573-2_18 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596787/
[14] Cannabinoids Excite Hypothalamic Melanin-Concentrating Hormone But Inhibit Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons: Implications for Cannabinoid Actions on Food Intake and Cognitive Arousal Hao Huang 1,*, Claudio Acuna-Goycolea 1,*, Ying Li 1, H M Cheng 2, Karl Obrietan 2, Anthony N van den Pol 1, PMCID: PMC6672093 PMID: 17475795 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6672093/
[15] Understanding Emotions: Origins and Roles of the Amygdala | Goran Šimić 1,*, Mladenka Tkalčić 2, Vana Vukić 1, Damir Mulc 3, Ena Španić 1, Marina Šagud 4, Francisco E Olucha-Bordonau 5, Mario Vukšić 1, Patrick R Hof 6 Editor: Vladimir N Uversky PMCID: PMC8228195 PMID: 34072960 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8228195/
[16] Neuroanatomy, Thalamus | Tyler J. Torrico; Sunil Munakomi. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542184/
[17] Neuroanatomy, Reticular Formation Sarah A. Mangold; Joe M. Das. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556102/
[18] National Library Of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560589/
[19] Iversen, Leslie. "Cannabis and the brain." Brain 126.6 (2003): 1252-1270.
[20] CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors and their Associated Proteins Allyn C Howlett 1, Lawrence C Blume 1, George D Dalton 1 PMCID: PMC3179980 NIHMSID: NIHMS314516 PMID: 20166926 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3179980/
[21] https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/news/archive/202404/does-marijuana-actually-help-sleep-problems
[22] Cannabis effects on brain structure, function, and cognition: considerations for medical uses of cannabis and its derivatives Alison C Burggren a, Anaheed Shirazi b, Nathaniel Ginder b, Edythe D London b,c PMCID: PMC7027431 NIHMSID: NIHMS1557646 PMID: 31365275 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7027431/
[23] Cannabis users exhibit increased cortical activation during resting state compared to non-users Shikha Prashad 1, Elizabeth S Dedrick 1, Francesca M Filbey 1,* PMCID: PMC6693493 NIHMSID: NIHMS1045559 PMID: 29894828 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6693493/
[24] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/beta-wave
[25] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/gamma-wave
[26] https://digilib.ucr.edu/theta-waves-benefits
[9] Toro, G., & Thomas, B. (2007). Drugs of the dreaming: oneirogens: Salvia divinorum and other dream-enhancing plants. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press
Encyclopedia Sources:
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov