Source 1:
Abusing marijuana blunts the brain's ability to respond to dopamine, the neurotransmitter that's responsible for our feelings of pleasure, motivation, and reward. Many abused substances stimulate brain dopamine signaling - the mechanism underlying the rewarding effects of drugs, food, and sex. Both groups produced just as much extra dopamine after taking the drug, but the marijuana abusers had significantly blunted behavioral, cardiovascular, and brain dopamine responses to the stimulant. Unlike cocaine and alcohol abusers, marijuana abusers appear to produce the same amount of dopamine with methylphenidate as people who aren't user's, Science explains, but their brains don't know what to do with it. (iflscience.com)
Source 2: …show more content…
Dopamine is one of many chemicals in the brain that help to regulate its activity. It is often called the feel good chemical, because it is directly responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward. Dopamine neurons are highly concentrated in a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which is sometimes referred to as the brain's reward center. The temporary rise in dopamine levels is responsible for the euphoria that users of marijuana and other substances experience.
A 2012 study set out to investigate this and concluded that unlike users of other common drugs, frequent cannabis users do not suffer from lasting changes in dopamine levels. Users may experience a period of withdrawal during which dopamine levels fall below normal levels. A study published in 2013 also found that cannabis users might have lower levels of dopamine than the average …show more content…
The lowest dopamine levels were seen in users who meet diagnostic criteria for cannabis abuse or dependence, raising the possibility that this measure could provide a marker of addiction severity. It has been assumed that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia by inducing the same effects on the dopamine system that we see in schizophrenia, but this hasn't been studied in active cannabis users until now, said Dr. Michael Bloomfield, who led the study. Although we only looked at cannabis users who have had psychotic-like experiences while using the drug, we think the findings would apply to cannabis users in general, since we didn't see a stronger effect in the subjects who have more psychotic-like symptoms. This needs to be tested though. Other studies have looked at dopamine release in former cannabis users and not seen differences with people who haven't taken cannabis, suggesting that the effects seen in this study are likely to be reversible.
Abusing marijuana blunts the brain's ability to respond to dopamine, the neurotransmitter that's responsible for our feelings of pleasure, motivation, and reward. Many abused substances stimulate brain dopamine signaling - the mechanism underlying the rewarding effects of drugs, food, and sex. Both groups produced just as much extra dopamine after taking the drug, but the marijuana abusers had significantly blunted behavioral, cardiovascular, and brain dopamine responses to the stimulant. Unlike cocaine and alcohol abusers, marijuana abusers appear to produce the same amount of dopamine with methylphenidate as people who aren't user's, Science explains, but their brains don't know what to do with it. (iflscience.com)
Source 2: …show more content…
Dopamine is one of many chemicals in the brain that help to regulate its activity. It is often called the feel good chemical, because it is directly responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward. Dopamine neurons are highly concentrated in a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which is sometimes referred to as the brain's reward center. The temporary rise in dopamine levels is responsible for the euphoria that users of marijuana and other substances experience.
A 2012 study set out to investigate this and concluded that unlike users of other common drugs, frequent cannabis users do not suffer from lasting changes in dopamine levels. Users may experience a period of withdrawal during which dopamine levels fall below normal levels. A study published in 2013 also found that cannabis users might have lower levels of dopamine than the average …show more content…
The lowest dopamine levels were seen in users who meet diagnostic criteria for cannabis abuse or dependence, raising the possibility that this measure could provide a marker of addiction severity. It has been assumed that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia by inducing the same effects on the dopamine system that we see in schizophrenia, but this hasn't been studied in active cannabis users until now, said Dr. Michael Bloomfield, who led the study. Although we only looked at cannabis users who have had psychotic-like experiences while using the drug, we think the findings would apply to cannabis users in general, since we didn't see a stronger effect in the subjects who have more psychotic-like symptoms. This needs to be tested though. Other studies have looked at dopamine release in former cannabis users and not seen differences with people who haven't taken cannabis, suggesting that the effects seen in this study are likely to be reversible.