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Glossary of Terms
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Bi-polar Disorder: Formerly called manic depression, it’s a mood disorder defined by episodes of elevated moods of two polar opposites: mania and depression.
Cannibidiol: A chemical in the cannabis plant that reduces or buffers the psychoactive effects of THC.
Cannabinoids: A group of compounds appearing in the cannabis plant, but also present naturally in the nervous and immune systems of humans.
COMT gene: Catechol-O-methyl transferase, a gene on the 22nd chromosome that deactivates dopamine. A variant in the gene, involving the amino acids Methionine and Valine, influences the amount of dopamine released, and seems to regulate how cannabis might affect mental health.
Dopamine: A neurotransmitter in the brain that affects emotion, perception and movement.
Methionine: An amino acid whose presence in the COMT gene seems to reduce the risk of marijuana-induced schizophrenia.
Neural pruning: A neurological process occurring during the teen years that reduces the number of the brain’s overproduced or ‘weak’ neurons and reorganizes the synapses’ configurations – somewhat like defragmenting a computer.
Prodromal: The earliest symptoms of a disease.
Psychosis: A disordered mental state involving a loss of contact with reality, frequently with hallucinations, delusions or altered thought processes.
Schizophrenia: A mental illness featuring recurring psychosis and a breakdown in the relation between thoughts, feelings and actions, usually accompanied by a withdrawal from social activity.
THC: Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant.
Valine: An amino acid whose presence in the COMT gene seems to increase the risk of marijuana-induced schizophrenia.
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