Cannabinoids cognitive function

CBl Cannabinoid Receptors Participate in the Control of Cognitive Functions 122... 

This peculiar cellular mechanism has a wide range of functional consequences, such as those on memory, cognition, pain perception, motor behavior, and emotional states. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis of an important role of cannabinoid modulation in anxiety. 

Knockout mice have revealed many novel and interesting aspects of the physiological functions of CBi receptors in locomotor activity, emotional behaviours, regulation of blood pressure, cognition, pain, reproduction and addiction. In addition, these animals have become invaluable tools for studying the interactions between cannabinoids and other drugs of abuse, i.e. opioids, nicotine, ethanol and cocaine. The multitude of phenotypes that have been observed in these an-... 

The anecdotal reports of effects of smoking cannabis on cognitive processes has naturally prompted investigation into the effects of cannabinoids on synaptic plasticity, and in particular long-term potentiation (LTP). To summarise 17 years of effort, it has been easy to show that cannabinoids have effects on LTP, and most commonly suppress it, but far more difficult to define the mechanisms by which this occurs. Emerging themes are that the commonly reported inhibition of LTP by synthetic cannabinoids may be mediated by non-CBi receptors, and that the function of the endogenous cannabinoid system may be to facilitate induction of LTP. The vast majority of studies have focussed on synaptic plasticity in the CAI region of the rat hippocampal slice and we will start our review there. 

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