what neurophysiological process causes the altered perception (music enhancement) of the marijuana high? dopamine or anandamide? what part of the brain? any one have any idea?
Just like any other psychedelic, they act on the pineal gland by being a precursor to a DMT trip. Even though each psychedelic might have different medicinal properties (for example the cannbinoids of pot are exclusive to pot, and produce specific medicinal effects like increasing appetite or acting as an anti-inflammatory agent), the psychedelic effects are the same; hence them being psychedelics and acting upon the psyche/pineal gland/third eye. If you have used stronger psychedelics than pot, and were able to access parts of the pineal gland that you couldn't before with pot, then you can access those when consuming cannabis sativa. However to get the best psychedelic effects, refrain from consuming pot as long as you can (at least a good month). Then find really really really dank bud, smoke immense quantities by yourself with a limited amount of stimulation; i.e. sound, light, smell, etc. Then your body wont have that tolerance towards pot which will let you trip as hard as consuming a potent psychedelic.
THC's a psychotic so I imagine it has a heavy influence. CBD is the anti-psychotic that balances the effects so I imagine the more CBD, the less psychedelic, but that also depends on the level of THC. As for where in the brain, it actually begins in the nervous system which then alters how the CNS communicates with the brain cells/neurons. I'm pretty sure THC's effect on brain function is spread out all over so it isn't really isolated to one center in the brain, but has more to do with the central nervous systems synapses. Dopamine is involved, which it usually is with drugs, but it's more a part of the feeling good as opposed to the sensual alterations involved in "psychedelia". Hope this answers at least one of your questions?
Primarily by the modulation of GABA/glutamate levels in the brain, via CB1 receptors, which the cannabinoids bind to. Its activity varies in different locations of the brain, supposedly. Neurotransmitters govern every communication between neurons, and so it really goes without saying that modulating their presence will have subsequent cerebral effects. Understanding completely how these manifest into our appreciation of music is well beyond me. From what I've read, the effects on dopamine are poorly understood, and have long been debated and studied, often to try and prove that cannabis is addictive (because the ability to detect a drugs addictiveness often boils down to proof that it activates the dopamine reward system). I've never heard anything about the pineal gland or DMT's involvement with cannabis.