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 suiteCannabidiol regulates behavioural alterations and gene expression changes induced by spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal Francisco Navarrete, Auxiliadora Aracil-Fernández and Jorge Manzanares British Journal of Pharmacology, 2018. Doi : 10.1111/bph.14226 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cannabidiol (CBD) represents a promising therapeutic tool for treating cannabis use disorder (CUD). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of CBD on the behavioural and gene expression alterations induced by spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal was evaluated 12 h after cessation of CP-55,940 treatment (0.5 mg·kg1 every 12 h, i.p.; 7 days) in C57BL/6J mice. The effects of CBD (5, 10 and 20 mg·kg1, i.p.) on withdrawal-related behavioural signs were evaluated by [...]
Lire la suiteAnandamide administration alone and after inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) increases dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell in rats Marcello Solinas, Zuzana Justinova, Steven R. Goldberg and Gianluigi Tanda Journal of Neurochemistry, 2006, 98, 408–419. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03880.x Abstract Although endogenous cannabinoid systems have been implicated in the modulation of the rewarding effects of abused drugs and food, little is known about the direct effects of endogenous ligands for cannabinoid receptors on brain reward processes. Here we show for the first time that the intravenous administration of anandamide, an endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptors, and its longer-lasting synthetic analog methanandamide, increase the extracellular dopamine [...]
Lire la suite