Independent of its effect on neurons, marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient (THC) impairs memory by affecting passive support cells called astroglia, which forge connections between neurons.
Researchers found that mice lacking receptors that respond to THC on their astroglial cells suffered none of the memory lapses associated with cannabis use.
The research suggests that in the future it may be possible to stop memory loss while still retaining the therapeutic benefits of cannabis by activating receptors in neurons while leaving out receptors on astrogial cells.
Read more at Shaanxi Normal University