CBD : The Cinderella Molecule Martin A. Lee On February 09, 2017 Originally published in High Times (Feb. 2017) https://www.projectcbd.org/culture/cbd-cinderella-molecule High Times cover story by Martin A Lee highlights the breakthrough research on CBD, and how it has revolutionized the story of cannabis medicine. “This changes everything!” That was the immediate reaction of Bay Area journalist Fred Gardner as he stood in the office of Steep Hill Laboratory in Oakland and eyed a chromatogram showing the unusual cannabinoid content of a hitherto unknown marijuana strain. The year was 2009, and the strain of interest, an oddity called Soma A-Plus, didn’t top the charts with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), [...]
Lire la suiteCBD & the Psychedelic Receptor Lex Pelger On March 11, 2018 (Updated on April 16, 2019) https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cbd-psychedelic-receptor CBD and LSD bind to the same serotonin receptor, which mediates psychedelic altered states. But cannabidiol has anti-psychotic properties and doesn't cause hallucinations. In a shorthand that drives scientists mad, serotonin is often called ‘the neurotransmitter of happiness.’ This tag is especially troublesome as more and more flaws become apparent in the ‘serotonin hypothesis’ of depression – the idea that depression is caused by a serotonin deficit, which a pill (a serotonin reuptake inhibitor) could correct.1 Serotonin is a complex molecule in the brain and the [...]
Lire la suitePrenatal THC exposure produces a hyperdopaminergic phenotype rescued by pregnenolone Roberto Frau, Vivien Miczán, Francesco Traccis, Sonia Aroni, Csaba I. Pongor, Pierluigi Saba, Valeria Serra, Claudia Sagheddu, Silvia Fanni, Mauro Congiu, Paola Devoto, Joseph F. Cheer, István Katona and Miriam Melis Nature Neuroscience, December 2019, VOL 22, 1975–1985 www.nature.com/natureneuroscience1975 Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved Doi : 10.1038/s41593-019-0512-2 The increased legal availability of cannabis has led to a common misconception that it is a safe natural remedy for, among others, pregnancy-related ailments such as morning sickness. Emerging clinical evidence, however, indicates that prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) predisposes offspring to various neuropsychiatric [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis Use in Adolescence : A Review of Neuroimaging Findings Yann Chye, Erynn Christensen & Murat Yücel Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 2019 Doi : 10.1080/15504263.2019.1636171 ABSTRACT Objective : Shifting policies and widespread acceptance of cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes have fueled worries of increased cannabis initiation and use in adolescents. In particular, the adolescent period is thought to be associated with an increased susceptibility to the potential harms of repeated cannabis use, due to being a critical period for neuromaturational events in the brain. This review investigates the neuroimaging evidence of brain harms attributable to adolescent cannabis use. Methods : PubMed and Scopus searches were [...]
Lire la suiteEndocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity and substance use disorders E. Fernandez-Espejo, L. Nunez-Dominguez Neurologia, 2019 Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved. doi : 10.1016/j.nrl.2018.12.004 Abstract Drugs impact brain reward circuits, causing dependence and addiction, in a condition currently described as substance use disorders. Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in these circuits are crucial in the development of addictive behaviour, and endocannabinoids, particularly anandamide and 2-arachidonyl-glycerol, participate in normal neuroplasticity. Substance use disorders are known to be associated with disruption of endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity, among other phenomena. Endocannabinoids mediate neuroplasticity in the short and the long term. In the short term, [...]
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 [...]
Lire la suiteDoes regular cannabis use affect neuroanatomy ? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of structural neuroimaging studies Valentina Lorenzetti, Yann Chye, Pedro Silva, Nadia Solowij, Carl A. Roberts European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 2019 Doi : 10.1007/s00406-019-00979-1 Abstract Regular cannabis use is associated with adverse cognitive and mental health outcomes that have been ascribed to aberrant neuroanatomy in brain regions densely innervated with cannabinoid receptors. Neuroanatomical differences between cannabis users and controls have been assessed in multiple structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies. However, there is heterogeneity in the results leading to cautious interpretation of the data so far. We examined the sMRI [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoid-Based Therapies and Brain Development : Potential Harmful Effect of Early Modulation of the Endocannabinoid System Patrícia Schonhofen, Ivi Juliana Bristot, José Alexandre Crippa, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak, Antônio Waldo Zuardi, Richard B. Parsons, Fábio Klamt CNS Drugs, 2018, 32, (Suppl 1), 1-16. Springer Nature Switzerland, Doi : 10.1007/s40263-018-0550-4 Abstract The endocannabinoid retrograde signaling pathway is widely expressed in the central nervous system, where it plays major roles in regulating synaptic plasticity (excitatory and inhibitory) through long-term potentiation and long-term depression. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) components—cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids and synthesis/degradation enzymes—are expressed and are functional from early developmental stages and throughout adolescent cortical development, regulating progenitor [...]
Lire la suiteGene-environment interaction between an endocannabinoid system genetic polymorphism and cannabis use in first episode of psychosis Miquel Bioque, Sergi Mas, Maria Cristina Costanzo, Bibiana Cabrera, Antonio Lobo, Ana González-Pinto, Elisa Rodriguez-Toscano, Iluminada Corripio, Eduard Vieta, Immaculada Baeza, Ángela Ibáñez, Miguel Gutiérrez Fraile, Manuel J. Cuesta, Gisela Mezquida, Amalia Lafuente, Miguel Bernardo, PEPs GROUP European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2019, 29, (6), 786-794 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.04.005 Abstract Alterations of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) may play an important role in the development of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Cannabis use is one of the environmental fac- tors more repeatedly related to an increase the risk of developing a psychotic episode, while its [...]
Lire la suiteCould cannabidiol be used as an alternative to antipsychotics ? Marc Fakhoury Journal of Psychiatric Research · May 2016 Doi : 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.05.013 Abstract Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects close to 1% of the population. Individuals with this disorder often present signs such as hallucination, anxiety, reduced attention, and social withdrawal. Although antipsychotic drugs remain the cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment, they are associated with severe side effects. Recently, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for pharmacotherapy that is involved in a wide range of disorders, including schizophrenia. Since its discovery, a lot of effort has been devoted to the [...]
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