- Researchers studied effect of increased cannabinoid levels in tadpoles
- Found it made retinal ganglion cells more sensitive, increasing activity
- These are cells responsible for transmitting info on light from eyes to brain
- Increasing cannabinoid levels allowed them to detect objects in low light
Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com
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Over the last few decades, researchers have noted numerous reports of fishermen and mountain dwellers in Jamaica and Morocco who appear to have improved night vision after ingesting cannabis.
Now, a new study has linked increased levels of cannabinoids, the active agent in marijuana, to enhanced low-light vision in vertebrates.
While previous studies have suggested cannabinoids reduce neurotransmission, researchers now found that activating this type of signalling in tadpoles instead made the retinal ganglion cells more sensitive.
A new study has linked increased levels of cannabinoids to enhanced low-light vision in vertebrates. Pictured, a tadpole eye is stained to reveal cannabinoid receptors (red). A single fluorescently labeled cell (green) is shown at greater magnification to the right
WHAT THE STUDY FOUND
Researchers found that increasing the levels of cannabinoids in tadpoles allowed them to detect dimmer objects in low light.
Doing this increased activity in the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) – the cells responsible for transmitting information on light detection from the eye to the brain.
One particular class of cannabinoid receptor, CB1R, was found to suppress the transport of chloride into the RGCs.
In turn, this hyperpolarizes the cell, allowing it fire at a higher rate.
In the study, researchers from the US and Canada investigated the response of African clawed frog tadpoles after they’d been exposed to increased levels of exogenous (artificially introduced) and endogenous (naturally occurring) cannabinoids.
As the tadpoles are transparent, the team was able to conduct functional imaging and electrophysiological recording as they reacted to visual stimuli, the researchers explain in a paper published recently to eLife.
This analysis revealed increased activity in the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) – the cells responsible for transmitting information on light detection from the eye to the brain.
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One particular class of cannabinoid receptor, CB1R, was found to suppress the transport of chloride into the RGCs when activated.
In turn, this hyperpolarizes the cell, allowing it fire at a higher rate.
By increasing the levels of cannabinoids in the tadpoles, the researchers say the creatures were then able to detect dimmer objects in low light.
‘Initially you distrust yourself when you see something that goes against widely held ideas, but we tried the experiment so many times, using diverse techniques, and it was a consistent result,’ says senior author Ed Ruthazer, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University.
While previous studies have suggested cannabinoids reduce neurotransmission, researchers now found that activating this type of signalling in tadpoles instead made the retinal ganglion cells more sensitive.
‘So then we knew we had to figure out what was going on. The first tendency is to want to ignore it.
‘But it was such a strong effect, we knew there was something important here.’
The researchers say the study highlights a previously unknown role for cannabinoids in brain signalling.
While it’s not yet known if this same effect will be seen in humans, researchers the study has implications for future work with mammals, noting anecdotal evidence documented in earlier studies on this phenomenon in humans.
‘Our work provides an exciting potential mechanism for cannabinoid regulation of neuronal firing, but it will obviously be important to confirm that similar mechanisms are also at play in the eyes of mammals,’ Ruthazer says.
‘Though technically more challenging, a similar study should now be performed in the mouse retina or even in cultures of human retinal cells.’
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