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How stoned are you , really ?
That ’s the question researchers challenged marijuana users to respond in a epitome app called " Am I Stoned ? " in which they completed a serial of task evaluating their memory , cognitive speed , response time and ok - motor skills .
The image could in time make user more aware of the effects of THC ( tetrahydrocannabinol ) , the chemical compound in marijuana responsible for its psychotropic effects , the researchers say . This , in turn , may help them make safe choices about perform activity that may be difficult or dangerous to do while high , inquiry team drawing card Harriet de Wit , a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at The University of Chicago , saidin a statement .
The scientists presentedtheir findingstoday ( April 24 ) at the one-year Experimental Biology group discussion ; the results have not yet been release in a peer - reviewed daybook . [ 25 Odd fact About Marijuana ]
High times
When a person uses marijuana , THC interactswith the brain , stimulate dopamine production and creating a sense of euphory . It also bind to cannabinoid sense organ in brain regions colligate with coordination , remembering , cognition and metre percept , and has been found to temporarily conquer carrying into action in these orbit — thoughhow muchit does this depends on the individual and the amount and concentration of the THC consumed .
To test the app , the scientists asked 24 people who did n’t employ marijuana daily to do the app ’s job on iPhones and background computers after consuming either a pill containing THC or a placebo . Activities on the iPhone interface include a mental test of CRT screen - pink amphetamine , a computer memory biz of tapping flower figure in the right order , and a test that required shaking the phone in response to a gloomy dit seem on the screenland , to value chemical reaction time .
On the screen background , standardised task address cognitive processing fastness chore , response time , o.k. motor coordination and workings storage yoke , task investigator Elisa Pabon , a doctorial prospect at the Pritzker School of Medicine at The University of Chicago , told Live Science in an email .
The research worker found that the desktop interfaces could detect impairment successfully using three of the four job , while iPhone apps could do so with only one of the tasks . This is perhaps because the computing machine activities , which took 15 to 20 minutes to finish , offer more chances to note how THC was affecting the exploiter , Pabon said in the statement .
" The effects of tetrahydrocannabinol on performance may be subtle , so we need extremely sensitive job to find impairments , " Pabon said .
Proceed with caution
One drawback to a self - administered exam such as this , however , is that if someone becomes good at performing the labor through repetition and practice , the solution wo n’t accurately reflect howimpairedthey are , say Vaughan Rees , a lecturer on social and behavioral skill at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health .
Rees , who was not involved in the app ’s development , also noted that vigilance and judgment provision — function that could also be affected by tetrahydrocannabinol — did not look to be assess by the app , so its event could paint an uncomplete pic of an individual ’s impairment .
At this stage , there is much more data that still needs to be gain before the app can reliably essay people for THC disability , Pabon said . For example , it ’s important that the app factor in how a person perform on the tests when unplayful , and how repetition and practice impact the results , she enjoin . What ’s more , the app may not be capable to identify between unlike doses of THC , or if the substance abuser is under the influence of other substances as well .
Nevertheless , the app could eventually testify useful as a tool for improving users ' knowingness and understanding of their own disability , which could be helpful aslegal marijuanabecomes more recognized and widespread in the U.S. , Rees told Live Science .
" Clearly , it ’s a step toward helping us to mitigate some of the potential consequences of the wider uptick of marijuana use in communities where it ’s becoming legitimatise or legitimize , " Rees said .
The next steps for the app will include alright - tuning the task to make them even more sensitive to detecting THC harm , and further research could aid to pinpoint fate in which drug user may not be aware of how impaired they are , the researcher reported . In a second - phase work presently afoot , the scientist are appraise an optimized interlingual rendition of the app with tasks that take longer to discharge and are more complex than in the prototype , Pabon read .
Original article onLive scientific discipline .
