Lhe news is astonishing to say the least. For the first time, a study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, demonstrates that the consumption of cannabis with high levels of THC (10% and more), its main psychoactive compound which gets users high, leaves a characteristic imprint on our DNA.
This discovery could well shake up what we know about the effects of this drug on mental health. In particular, why smoking a joint is likely to cause, in certain individuals, psychotic episodes, that is to say a temporary alteration of the perception of reality (auditory hallucinations, paranoia, delusions of persecution, confused thoughts, etc. ).
An epigenetic modification
The research team from King’s College London, led by Professor Marta Di Forti, analyzed blood samples from 682 participants. It reveals that frequent consumption of cannabis with a high THC content leads to changes in DNA methylation, a chemical process that influences the expression of genes, turning them on or off, without altering their DNA sequence. This is called epigenetic modification.
The researchers found that these changes particularly affect genes linked to the functions of immunity and mitochondria, the real energy factories of our cells. Particularly affected by these methylations, the Cavin-1 gene could, for example, influence the en response. […] Read more
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