This provided image shows a population of the roundworm C. elegans with an eyelash for scale. University of Oregon researchers soaked the worms in an endocannabinoid to study their response to food under the influence.
Courtesy Shawn Lockery
New research from the University of Oregon suggests that humans aren’t the only ones who get the munchies under the influence of cannabis.
A recent study found that nematodes — also known as roundworms — soaked in a naturally occurring THC-like substance ate more of the bacteria they prefer at a faster rate than normal, similar to humans who may get food cravings after ingesting cannabis.
Shawn Lockery, a professor in the university’s Institute of Neuroscience, led the study.
“Not all bacteria are created equal, from the nematode’s point of view,” he said. “Some of them are sort of like pizza to the worm… and some are more like oatmeal.”
Lockery said the cannabinoid not only increased the worms’ preference for the “pizza-like” bacteria, but decreased their preference for the “oatmeal-like” bacteria.
The findings could provide insight into the human endocannabinoid system, which is surprisingly similar to the one found in roundworms, and that regulates bodily responses such as mood, appetite, pain and inflammation.
Substances like THC mimic natural neurotransmitters that play a role in that system, leading to unexpected effects. Lockery said the munchies could be the result of the endocannabinoid system telling the body to seek out high-calorie food.
“[It’s] kind of like a fast-response emergency system for when the animal is facing death by starvation,” he said. “In that case, you really don’t want to waste your time eating grass or something that’s not so nutritious.”
Lockery has been researching nematodes for more than 30 years. Around the time recreational marijuana was legalized in Oregon, he and his lab were studying how the worms make decisions between things they value at different costs — a phenomenon known as economic decision making.
The confluence of the two led the team out on a limb to study the putative munchies effect.
“I just thought that if the result worked out, it would be so amusing to everyone,” Lockery said. “I was pleasantly surprised to see this strong similarity between humans and these animals that are so primitive and diverged from us so long ago.”
Lockery’s team is now studying how certain psychedelics will affect the worms. Early results show that they decrease appetite and increase locomotion — the same results shown in similar studies of rodents.
“Just as cannabinoids were being legalized in Oregon, now psychedelics are legalized for certain purposes,” he said. “So we’re very excited to follow this up.”
Shawn Lockery spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation: