A Detailed Analysis of CBD and THC’s Impact on Short Term Memory
The image often portrayed by the media is that cannabis users are unable to remember anything after its use. This is largely untrue because while cannabis does affect memory, many factors are responsible for this such as frequency, length, and method of consumption. For example, short term memory impairment is known to affect occasional users for a few hours but for frequent users, it takes longer than that. A valid question we should all be asking is if some strains impair short term memory than others?
Cannabis has been found to have several medicinal properties which will be instrumental to the cure of several diseases. These properties are usually found in compounds present in cannabis, with the most useful being CBD as it has several amazing properties that are found to be quite useful to the advancement of medicine. This is contrary to the belief that cannabis has negative effects, rather, it is found that CBD, one of its compounds has broad-spectrum action which allows it to be useful for the treatment of several memory disorders and have an overall positive influence on the health of the brain. This is why it is fast becoming an important part of treatment for several health conditions.
CBD and THC
The World Health Organisation recently conducted a study on CBD, which showed no risks or potential of negative physiological response or effects on the memory. On the other hand, THC is said to disturb the cognitive functions and short term memory of frequent users. With this being the case, there is a possibility of CBD being used to counteract the effect of THC on the human body. Studies have revealed that using THC for a long time could cause memory impairment while CBD use helps prevent this and even help enhance memory functions. It is also claimed by researchers that CBD has some direct influence on the ability to elaborate and remember by mammals and might weaken the effects of addictive drugs on them by dissipating addiction through memories and reducing the appetite for those drugs. This is because it has been found that addiction is linked to memories, especially those that are pleasant even though CBD can influence the unpleasant ones as well. Some clinical studies attest to this by reporting that CBD not only reduces anxiety but also some of the symptoms related to memory disorders and emotional stress like PTSD. Besides, an increasing amount of evidence is beginning to indicate that CBD stimulates neurogenesis which in turn helps reduce cognitive decline and other damages that could be caused by disease, trauma or age.
These studies have also made it obvious that there is more work to be done as there are researches to be carried out to monitor the effect of CBD when used in stimulating memories for brains that are healthy. They have also brought to the fore the importance of cannabis which will help turn around the negative impression of the plant as brain deteriorating when it has considerable benefits to offer in brain-related conditions. The only hindrance to more research on it has been the issue of its sketchy legality, this has also significantly interfered with its usage in treating and preventing diseases.
CBD as Counteragent?
Many studies conducted focused on the interactions between THC and CBD and how the latter might be able to mitigate the effects of the former especially in terms of memory and cognition. Although it has been proven that THC causes impairments in memory, it is yet unclear if it is only a short or long term issue. What is known through recent neuroimaging techniques is that constant and heavy use of THC affects the memory by reconfiguring the neural connections. It is still unknown what the role of CBD is in the case but more studies will bring about a better understanding of the issue.
A research carried out at the University College London (UCL) indicated that cannabis strains that are low in CBD but high in THC causes more memory impairment than those high in CBD but with the same level of THC. What this pointed to was that the potency of the THC doesn't matter but a balance between CBD and THC was the determinant. This is mainly a result of the entourage effect which indicates that cannabis compounds work well when consumed together.
Bottom line
Over the last few years, strains high in THC but low in CBD have been the preferred choice for many cannabis consumers but what they are not aware of is that these strains amplify the risk of harm to their memory. Rather, it is advised for them to shift focus to strains high in CBD to prevent any issues with not only the short term memory but also all forms of cognitive functions.
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