At this point, both the pitcher and the CB1 receptor are no longer active players. As a result, if you continue to consume THC, it will have less of an effect on brain functioning because there are fewer receptors for it to act on. Obviously, these factors vary greatly across individuals, so our best understanding of the time course for tolerance development comes from studies in mice.
So the brain mechanisms that promote quicker tolerance are also most resilient and recover quicker from a period of abstinence. Recovery is notably difficult to measure, but we can look at changes in behavior, brain function, and brain chemical receptor levels as a proxy.
A study of daily cannabis users reported that users had reduced CB1 receptors compared to non-users, which increased to around-normal after just two weeks of abstinence. However, additional studies demonstrated that withdrawal is more intense when there are fewer available CB1 receptors for THC to bind, suggesting that tolerance is indeed the internalization of CB1 receptors. Excessive alcohol consumption can be toxic to the brain , causing injury or death to the brain cells themselves. Abstaining from alcohol can lead to some recovery , but it takes longer than cannabis and is often less complete.
Meth can even kill brain cells. Jeremy Kossen. The PET was able to see where exactly CB 1 receptors are located in the brain and how densely distributed they were throughout each section.
What did the experiment find? Significant CB1R upregulation begins within 2 days of abstinence and continues over 4 weeks. The fact that CB 1 receptors did not fully bounce back after four weeks the authors attributed to their small sample size that might not have adequately assessed the initial levels of CB 1 before they stopped smoking.
Another drawback they noted was the lack of female participants. Females respond differently to THC than males, which may be due to differential expression of cannabinoid receptors. In order to avoid this variable, the experiment only included males.
They noted that similar experiments in the future should include females, and also monitor possible changes in cognitive abilities throughout the course of an abstinence period.
Interestingly, the amount of cannabis they consumed on a regular basis did not correlate with the level of CB 1 downregulation. Regardless of how much cannabis a person consumed, CB 1 receptor expression still only took about two days to bounce back significantly after abstaining.
After four weeks of abstinence, PET scans did not find a statistical difference between past smokers and the eternally sober. Many people will feel the increased sensitivity in days, so anywhere from a week break can be effective. Just be careful on your first adventure back! Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Trade Ideas. News Podcast Events Newsletter. Compare Online Brokers. Top Stocks. Alternative Investing.
0コメント