ABSTRACT: The active component of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), produces numerous beneficial effects, including analgesia, appetite stimulation and nausea reduction, in addition to its psychotropic effects. THC mimics the action of endogenous fatty acid derivatives, referred to as endocannabinoids. The effects of THC and the ... Continue Reading
Endocannabinoid
STUDY: Fine-tuning of defensive behaviors in the dorsal periaqueductal gray by atypical neurotransmitters
ABSTRACT: This paper presents an up-to-date review of the evidence indicating that atypical neurotransmitters such as nitric oxide (NO) and endocannabinoids (eCBs) play an important role in the regulation of aversive responses in the periaqueductal gray (PAG). Among the results supporting this role, several studies have shown that inhibitors of neuronal NO synthase or ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Allosteric modulation of glycine receptors
ABSTRACT: Inhibitory (or strychnine sensitive) glycine receptors (GlyRs) are anion-selective transmitter-gated ion channels of the cys-loop superfamily, which includes among others also the inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABAA receptors). While GABA mediates fast inhibitory neurotransmission throughout the CNS, the action of glycine as a fast inhibitory ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Inhibition of human recombinant T-type calcium channels by the endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyl dopamine
ABSTRACT: Background and purpose: N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA) has complex effects on nociception mediated via cannabinoid CB1 receptors and the transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1). Anandamide, the prototypic CB1/TRPV1 agonist, also inhibits T-type voltage-gated calcium channel currents (ICa). These channels are expressed by many excitable cells, ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Cannabinoid receptor signalling in neurodegenerative diseases: a potential role for membrane fluidity disturbance
ABSTRACT: Type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1) is the most abundant G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) in the brain. CB1 and its endogenous agonists, the so-called ‘endocannabinoids (eCBs)’, belong to an ancient neurosignalling system that plays important functions in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic ... Continue Reading