Pot Plus Alcohol Kills Young Rats' Brain Cells

David · Bard Joined: 28 Sep 2003 Posts: 1188

Pot Plus Alcohol Kills Young Rats' Brain Cells

Published: 04/22/08
TUESDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and mildly intoxicating doses of alcohol caused widespread nerve cell death in the brains of young rats, a German study finds.

Researchers from Humboldt University, Berlin, administered THC, a synthetic form of THC, ethanol, an anticonvulsant called MK-801, and phenobarbital to rats between one and 14 days old. A previous study by the same team found that ethanol and drugs such as sedatives, anesthetics and anticonvulsants caused extensive nerve cell death in the brains of young rodents. The new study was conducted to determine if cannabinoids caused similar harm.

The researchers found that THC and synthetic THC did not cause nerve cell death when administered alone but did cause cell death when given with mildly intoxicating amounts of ethanol. The combined effect increased according to the dose of THC and was strongest when the rats were seven days old.

The researchers also found that the CB1 receptor blocker drug Rimonabant reduced brain nerve cell death in rats given a combination of THC and ethanol. Rimonabant, brand named Acomplia, is an anti-obesity drug that may help treat addiction, the team noted. The fact that the drug counteracted the effect of THC and ethanol suggests that activation of CB1 receptors may be responsible for the effect that THC has on the neurotoxicity of ethanol, the researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

More studies are needed to examine how THC boosts alcohol's harmful effects on the developing brain, the researchers said.

"With the use of behavioral and stereological techniques, such studies would explore whether acute changes reflect permanent neuronal loss and lead to behavioral deficits," they concluded. "The results of the acute studies have interesting potential therapeutic implications for including the use of CB1 receptor antagonists for preventing brain damage in fetuses and neonates exposed to ethanol, sedative and/or anticonvulsant drugs."

The German group noted that marijuana is among the most commonly used illicit drugs by women during their childbearing years. There's growing concern that use of marijuana, either alone or in combination with other drugs, during pregnancy may harm fetal brain development.

**Ferre** · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject:

Funny how former research has found that THC does not kill braincells and that alcohol/ethanol does kill braincells.

It's a no-brainer that anything combined with alcohol/ethanol will kill braincells, what did they expect? That alcohol combined with other substances does not kill braincells?

This reeks like another psuedo scientific reasoning to discredit Cannabis use as all other research has found no harm to braincells with the use of Cannabis, so they just add something (alcohol/ethanol) of which they know for sure it will kill some braicells and steer public opinion into the (false) belief that THC might kill braincells when combined with alcohol.

Their claim that THC "boosts" the harmful effects of alcohol on the developing brain indeed needs more research, that's about the only credible statement in that whole article.
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David · Bard Joined: 28 Sep 2003 Posts: 1188

I'm glad you noticed that. jack wanted to know why they haven't tested ethanol on it's own, I said because it will tell them that's what kills the brain cells.
Did you know that THC and cyanide is fatal? Also I found out that THC and running into a brick wall hurts! If you notice THC is in both scenarios.

**Ferre** · Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:07 pm Post subject:

Yes, and in that same "scientific" line of thinking milk leads to alcohol addiction, statistics "prove" this because 99.9% of all alcoholics have started out drinking milk, milk is a gateway drug!

Laughing

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David · Bard Joined: 28 Sep 2003 Posts: 1188

And Ribena, that stuffs deadly, they reckon one glass of that stuff and you could become an alcoholic. Laughing

malloryjade · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:54 am Post subject:

This is so crazy. Pot plus alcohol causes brain damage well no shit alcohol kills brain cells anyway. For that matter baby formula and alcohol would kill brain cells too. Chocolate and alcohol. yep same result. Boogers and alcohol yep you guessed it!!! That combo kills brain cells too. What a bunch of idiots. MJ
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David · Bard Joined: 28 Sep 2003 Posts: 1188

Shit, I'm going to quit those baby formula cocktails, man they tasted good Very Happy

They took me back to the days of vodka in the babies bottle. Laughing