Cannabinoid modulation of drug reward and the implications of marijuana legalization Dan P. Covey, Jennifer M. Wenzel, and Joseph F. Cheer Brain Research, 2015 1628, 233–243. doi : 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.11.034. Abstract Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug worldwide. Recent trends indicate that this may soon change; not due to decreased marijuana use, but to an amendment in marijuana’s illegal status. The cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor mediates marijuana’s psychoactive and reinforcing properties. CB1 receptors are also part of the brain endocannabinoid (eCB) system and support numerous forms of learning and memory, including the conditioned reinforcing properties of cues predicting reward or punishment. This is accomplished [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system in reward processing and addiction: from mechanisms to interventions Rainer Spanagel, PhD Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 2020, 22, (3), 241-250. doi : 10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.3/rspanagel The last decades have seen a major gain in understanding the action of cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system in reward processing and the development of addictive behavior. Cannabis-derived psychoactive compounds such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and synthetic cannabinoids directly interact with the reward system and thereby have addictive properties. Cannabinoids induce their reinforcing properties by an increase in tonic dopamine levels through a cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor–dependent mechanism within the ventral tegmental area. Cues that are conditioned [...]
Lire la suiteInvolvement of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction, Rafael Maldonado, Olga Valverde and Fernando Berrendero Trends in Neurosciences, 2006, 29, (4), 225-232. Doi : 10.1016/j.tins.2006.01.008 Recent studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the common neurobiological mechanism underlying drug addiction. This system participates in the primary rewarding effects of cannabinoids, nicotine, alcohol and opioids, through the release of endocannabinoids in the ventral tegmental area. Endocannabinoids are also involved in the motivation to seek drugs by a dopamine-independent mechanism, demonstrated for psychostimulants and opioids. The endocannabinoid system also participates in the common mechanisms underlying relapse to drugseeking behaviour by mediating the motivational effects [...]
Lire la suitePro-psychotic effects of synthetic cannabinoids: interactions with central dopamine, serotonin and glutamate systems William E. Fantegrossi, Cathryn D. Wilson, and Michael D. Berquist III Drug Metabolism Reviews, 2018, 50, (1), 65–73. doi : 10.1080/03602532.2018.1428343 Abstract An association between marijuana use and schizophrenia has been noted for decades, and the recent emergence of high-efficacy synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) as drugs of abuse has lead to a growing number of clinical reports of persistent psychotic effects in users of these substances. The mechanisms underlying SCB-elicited pro-psychotic effects is unknown, but given the ubiquitous neuromodulatory functions of the endocannabinoid system, it seems likely that agonist actions at cannabinoid type-1 [...]
Lire la suiteΔ 9‑Tetrahydrocannabinol Toxicity and Validation of Cannabidiol on Brain Dopamine Levels : An Assessment on Cannabis Duplicity Swapnali Chetia · Gaurab Borah Natural Products and Bioprospecting, 2020, 10, 285–296 doi : 10.1007/s13659-020-00263-z Abstract Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of cannabis is the main psychoactive component which is a global significant concern to human health. Evaluation on THC reported its drastic effect on the brain dopaminergic (DAergic) system stimulating mesolimbic DA containing neurons thereby increasing the level of striatal DA. Cannabidiol (CBD), with its anxiolytic and anti-psychotic property, is potent to ameliorate the THC-induced DAergic variations. Legal authorization of cannabis use and its analogs in most countries led to [...]
Lire la suiteThe role of cannabinoid transmission in emotional memory formation: implications for addiction and schizophrenia Huibing Tan, Tasha Ahmad, Michael Loureiro, Jordan Zunder and Steven R. Laviolette Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2014,Vol 5, Article 73, 1-12 doi : 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00073 Emerging evidence from both basic and clinical research demonstrates an important role for endo-cannabinoid (ECB) signaling in the processing of emotionally salient information, learning, and memory. Cannabinoid transmission within neural circuits involved in emotional processing has been shown to modulate the acquisition, recall, and extinction of emotionally salient memories and importantly, can strongly modulate the emotional salience of incoming sensory information. Two neural regions in particular, the [...]
Lire la suiteModern Clinical Research on LSD Matthias E Liechti Neuropsychopharmacology, 2017, 42, 2114–2127. doi : 10.1038/npp.2017.86 All modern clinical studies using the classic hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy subjects or patients in the last 25 years are reviewed herein. There were five recent studies in healthy participants and one in patients. In a controlled setting, LSD acutely induced bliss, audiovisual synesthesia, altered meaning of perceptions, derealization, depersonalization, and mystical experiences. These subjective effects of LSD were mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor. LSD increased feelings of closeness to others, openness, trust, and suggestibility. LSD impaired the recognition of sad and fearful faces, reduced left [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol Protects Dopaminergic Neuronal Cells from Cadmium Jacopo Junio Valerio Branca, Gabriele Morucci, Matteo Becatti, Donatello Carrino, Carla Ghelardini, Massimo Gulisano, Lorenzo Di Cesare Mannelli Alessandra Pacini International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019, 16, 4420. doi : 10.3390/ijerph16224420 Abstract The protective effect of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa, against neuronal toxicity induced by cadmium chloride (CdCl2 10 M) was investigated in a retinoic acid (RA)-dierentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line. CBD (1 M) was applied 24 h before and removed during cadmium (Cd) treatment. In dierentiated neuronal cells, CBD significantly reduced the Cd-dependent decrease of cell viability, and the rapid [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol Counteracts the Psychotropic Side-Effects of Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in the Ventral Hippocampus Through Bi-Directional Control of ERK1-2 Phosphorylation Roger Hudson, Justine Renard, Christopher Norris, Walter J. Rushlow and Steven R. Laviolette The Journal of Neuroscience, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0708-19.2019 Abstract Evidence suggests that the phytocannabinoids Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) differentially regulate salience attribution and psychiatric risk. The ventral hippocampus (vHipp) relays emotional salience via control of dopamine (DA) neuronal activity states, which are dysregulated in psychosis and schizophrenia. Using in-vivo electrophysiology in male Sprague Dawley rats, we demonstrate that intra-vHipp THC strongly increases ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neuronal frequency and bursting rates, decreases GABA frequency, and [...]
Lire la suiteThe Role of Cannabis within an Emerging Perspective on Schizophrenia Jegason P. Diviant, Jacob M. Vigil, and Sarah S. Stith Medicines, 2018, 5, 86, 1-11. doi : 10.3390/medicines5030086 Abstract Background : Approximately 0.5% of the population is diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia, under the prevailing view that the pathology is best treated using pharmaceutical medications that act on monoamine receptors. Methods : We briefly review evidence on the impact of environmental forces, particularly the effect of autoimmune activity, in the expression of schizophrenic profiles and the role of Cannabis therapy for regulating immunological functioning. Results : A review of the literature shows that phytocannabinoid consumption may [...]
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