scholarly journals Cannabinoids on the Brain

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 632-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Irving ◽  
Mark G. Rae ◽  
Angela A. Coutts

Cannabis has a long history of consumption both for recreational and medicinal uses. Recently there have been significant advances in our understanding of how cannabis and related compounds (cannabinoids) affect the brain and this review addresses the current state of knowledge of these effects. Cannabinoids act primarily via two types of receptor, CB1and CB2, with CB1receptors mediating most of the central actions of cannabinoids. The presence of a new type of brain cannabinoid receptor is also indicated. Important advances have been made in our understanding of cannabinoid receptor signaling pathways, their modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity, the cellular targets of cannabinoids in different central nervous system (CNS) regions and, in particular, the role of the endogenous brain cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system. Cannabinoids have widespread actions in the brain: in the hippocampus they influence learning and memory; in the basal ganglia they modulate locomotor activity and reward pathways; in the hypothalamus they have a role in the control of appetite. Cannabinoids may also be protective against neurodegeneration and brain damage and exhibit anticonvulsant activity. Some of the analgesic effects of cannabinoids also appear to involve sites within the brain. These advances in our understanding of the actions of cannabinoids and the brain endocannabinoid system have led to important new insights into neuronal function which are likely to result in the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of a number of key CNS disorders.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4221
Author(s):  
Tomasz Charytoniuk ◽  
Hubert Zywno ◽  
Karolina Konstantynowicz-Nowicka ◽  
Klaudia Berk ◽  
Wiktor Bzdega ◽  
...  

The worldwide prevalence of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders, such as depression or Alzheimer’s disease, has spread extensively throughout the last decades, becoming an enormous health issue. Numerous data indicate a distinct correlation between the altered endocannabinoid signaling and different aspects of brain physiology, such as memory or neurogenesis. Moreover, the endocannabinoid system is widely regarded as a crucial factor in the development of neuropathologies. Thus, targeting those disorders via synthetic cannabinoids, as well as phytocannabinoids, becomes a widespread research issue. Over the last decade, the endocannabinoid system has been extensively studied for its correlation with physical activity. Recent data showed that physical activity correlates with elevated endocannabinoid serum concentrations and increased cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) expression in the brain, which results in positive neurological effects including antidepressant effect, ameliorated memory, neuroplasticity development, and reduced neuroinflammation. However, none of the prior reviews presented a comprehensive correlation between physical activity, the endocannabinoid system, and neuropathologies. Thus, our review provides a current state of knowledge of the endocannabinoid system, its action in physical activity, as well as neuropathologies and a possible correlation between all those fields. We believe that this might contribute to finding a new preventive and therapeutic approach to both neurological and neurodegenerative disorders.


Author(s):  
Andrea Mastinu ◽  
Marika Premoli ◽  
Giulia Ferrari-Toninelli ◽  
Simone Tambaro ◽  
Giuseppina Maccarinelli ◽  
...  

Abstract The use of different natural and/or synthetic preparations of Cannabis sativa is associated with therapeutic strategies for many diseases. Indeed, thanks to the widespread diffusion of the cannabinoidergic system in the brain and in the peripheral districts, its stimulation, or inhibition, regulates many pathophysiological phenomena. In particular, central activation of the cannabinoidergic system modulates the limbic and mesolimbic response which leads to food craving. Moreover, cannabinoid agonists are able to reduce inflammatory response. In this review a brief history of cannabinoids and the protagonists of the endocannabinoidergic system, i.e. synthesis and degradation enzymes and main receptors, will be described. Furthermore, the pharmacological effects of cannabinoids will be outlined. An overview of the involvement of the endocannabinoidergic system in neuroinflammatory and metabolic pathologies will be made. Finally, particular attention will also be given to the new pharmacological entities acting on the two main receptors, cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2), with particular focus on the neuroinflammatory and metabolic mechanisms involved.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (25) ◽  
pp. E5006-E5015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Chicca ◽  
Simon Nicolussi ◽  
Ruben Bartholomäus ◽  
Martina Blunder ◽  
Alejandro Aparisi Rey ◽  
...  

The extracellular effects of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol are terminated by enzymatic hydrolysis after crossing cellular membranes by facilitated diffusion. The lack of potent and selective inhibitors for endocannabinoid transport has prevented the molecular characterization of this process, thus hindering its biochemical investigation and pharmacological exploitation. Here, we report the design, chemical synthesis, and biological profiling of natural product-derivedN-substituted 2,4-dodecadienamides as a selective endocannabinoid uptake inhibitor. The highly potent (IC50= 10 nM) inhibitorN-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl amide (WOBE437) exerted pronounced cannabinoid receptor-dependent anxiolytic, antiinflammatory, and analgesic effects in mice by increasing endocannabinoid levels. A tailored WOBE437-derived diazirine-containing photoaffinity probe (RX-055) irreversibly blocked membrane transport of both endocannabinoids, providing mechanistic insights into this complex process. Moreover, RX-055 exerted site-specific anxiolytic effects on in situ photoactivation in the brain. This study describes suitable inhibitors to target endocannabinoid membrane trafficking and uncovers an alternative endocannabinoid pharmacology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-228

This article retraces the story of cannabis from the earliest contacts of humans with the plant to its subsequent global expansion, its medicinal uses, and the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in the 20th century. Cannabis was attested to around 12 000 years ago near the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, and since then, cannabis seeds have accompanied the migration of nomadic peoples. Records of the medicinal use of cannabis appear before the Common Era in China, Egypt, and Greece (Herodotus), and later in the Roman empire (Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides, Galen). In the 19th century, orientalists like Silvestre de Sacy, and Western physicians coming into contact with Muslim and Indian cultures, like O’Shaughnessy and Moreau de Tours, introduced the medicinal use of cannabis into Europe. The structure of the main psychoactive phytocannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was determined in Israel by Mechoulam and Gaoni in 1964. This discovery opened the gate for many of the subsequent developments in the field of endocannabinoid system (ECS) research. The advances in the scientific knowledge of the ECS place the debate on cannabis liberalization in a new context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 412-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda E Klumpers ◽  
David L Thacker

Abstract Cannabis has been used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. As a result of centuries of breeding and selection, there are now over 700 varieties of cannabis that contain hundreds of compounds, including cannabinoids and terpenes. Cannabinoids are fatty compounds that are the main biological active constituents of cannabis. Terpenes are volatilecompounds that occur in many plants and have distinct odors. Cannabinoids exert their effect on the body by binding to receptors, specifically cannabinoid receptors types 1 and 2. These receptors, together with endogenous cannabinoids and the systems forsynthesis, transport, and degradation, are called the Endocannabinoid System. The two most prevalent and commonly known cannabinoids in the cannabis plantare delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. The speed, strength, and type of effects of cannabis vary based on the route of administration. THC is rapidly distributed through the body to fattytissues like the brain and is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 system to 11-hydroxy-THC, which is also psychoactive. Cannabis and cannabinoids have been indicated for several medical conditions. There is evidence of efficacy in the symptomatic treatmentof nausea and vomiting, pain, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, loss of appetite, Tourette’s syndrome, and epilepsy. Cannabis hasalso been associated with treatment for glaucoma, Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and dystonia, but thereis not good evidence tosupport its efficacy. Side effects of cannabis include psychosis and anxiety, which can be severe. Here, we provided a summary ofthe history of cannabis,its pharmacology, and its medical uses.


Author(s):  
Huda Jasim Altameme ◽  
Imad Hadi Hameed ◽  
Lena Fadhil Hamza

Anethumgraveolens, belong to the family Umbelliferae, is indigenous to southern Europe. It is an annual herb growing in the Mediterranean region, central and southern Asia.Now it is cultivated widely throughout the world. It is used traditionally as a popular aromatic herb and spice that has a very long history of use going back to more than 5,000 years. It was used as a remedy for indigestion and flatulence and as milk secretion stimulant. The essential oil and different extracts of Anethumgraveolensseeds exerted antimicrobial activity against wide range of microorganisms. The essential oils and acetone extracts shown antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella choleraesuis, S. typhimurium, Shigellaflexneri, Salmonella typhii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium. Anethumgraveolens seed extracts exerted moderate activity against Helicobacter pylori.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Terral ◽  
Giovanni Marsicano ◽  
Pedro Grandes ◽  
Edgar Soria-Gómez

Olfaction has a direct influence on behavior and cognitive processes. There are different neuromodulatory systems in olfactory circuits that control the sensory information flowing through the rest of the brain. The presence of the cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptor, (the main cannabinoid receptor in the brain), has been shown for more than 20 years in different brain olfactory areas. However, only over the last decade have we started to know the specific cellular mechanisms that link cannabinoid signaling to olfactory processing and the control of behavior. In this review, we aim to summarize and discuss our current knowledge about the presence of CB1 receptors, and the function of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of different olfactory brain circuits and related behaviors.


Author(s):  
G.D. Danilatos

Over recent years a new type of electron microscope - the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) - has been developed for the examination of specimen surfaces in the presence of gases. A detailed series of reports on the system has appeared elsewhere. A review summary of the current state and potential of the system is presented here.The gas composition, temperature and pressure can be varied in the specimen chamber of the ESEM. With air, the pressure can be up to one atmosphere (about 1000 mbar). Environments with fully saturated water vapor only at room temperature (20-30 mbar) can be easily maintained whilst liquid water or other solutions, together with uncoated specimens, can be imaged routinely during various applications.


2014 ◽  
pp. 126-136
Author(s):  
Аndrey G. Velikanov

Considers the aspects of architecture as a language able to express the current state and to prophetically indicate the upcoming changes. The aesthetic value of a construction cannot be perceived just as a separate entity, but it can be cognized in the context and not only a visual one, in space. It is necessary to see the entire complex of the accompanying phenomena, all the flow of the unfolding metaphors and values. In the model in view the figure of the author-creator must be reconsidered as no longer conforming to today's reality. The development of the Stalinist Empire style, as well as its transformations, is considered as one of the specific phenomena in the history of well-known constructions


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariya Andriyanova ◽  
Aslanli Aslanli ◽  
Nataliya Basova ◽  
Viktor Bykov ◽  
Sergey Varfolomeev ◽  
...  

The collective monograph is devoted to discussing the history of creation, studying the properties, neutralizing and using organophosphorus neurotoxins, which include chemical warfare agents, agricultural crop protection chemical agents (herbicides and insecticides) and medicines. The monograph summarizes the results of current scientific research and new prospects for the development of this field of knowledge in the 21st century, including the use of modern physicochemical methods for experimental study and theoretical analysis of biocatalysis and its mechanisms based on molecular modeling with supercomputer power. The book is intended for specialists who are interested in the current state of research in the field of organophosphorus neurotoxins. The monograph will be useful for students, graduate students, researchers specializing in the field of physical chemistry, physicochemical biology, chemical enzymology, toxicology, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics, biotechnology, nanotechnology and biomedicine.


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