Marijuana endocannabinoids

Synthetic Marijuana Endocannabinoid Modulation of Synaptic Transmission... 

Roffman RA, Barnhart R Assessing need for marijuana dependence treatment through an anonymous telephone interview. Int J Addict 22 639-631, 1987 Russo EB Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD) can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions Neuro Endocrinol Lett 25(1-2) 31—39, 2004... 

Marijuana and hashish are derivatives of the cannabis sativa plant 919 Cannabinoid effects in the CNS are mediated by the CB1 receptor 919 Endocannabinoids are endogenous ligands for the CB1 receptor 919 Endocannabinoids serve as retrograde messengers 920 There are many similarities between endogenous opioid and cannabinoid systems 921... 

Marijuana and hashish are derivatives of the cannabis sativa plant. Although cannabinoids have been used for centuries for recreational and therapeutic purposes, dramatic advances in cannabinoid neurobiology have occurred since 1990 [34-37]. This is attributable to the cloning of cannabinoid receptors and the discovery of endogenous cannabinoids, termed endocannabinoids. 

V. Getting stoned with or without inhaling marijuana tid the endocannabinoids... 

Getting Stoned With or Without Inhaling Marijuana and the Endocannabinoids... 

FIGURE 13-15. Icon for anandamide, the brain s endocannabinoid (the brain s own marijuana ). 

THE BRAIN S OWN MARIJUANA-LIKE NEUROTRANSMITTER The very high potency and structure of the cannabinoids contained within the marijuana plant enable them to cross the blood—brain barrier and bind to a receptor for the brain s very own endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter system. If this were not true, then the marijuana plant would be popular only for its use in making rope, paper, and cloth. The two currently identified neurotransmitters compounds (and there are probably more) in this system are anandamide, from the Sanskrit word amnia () meaning bliss, and 2-AG (2-arachidonoyl-glycerol). Unlike the other neurotransmitters that I ve discussed, these two endocannabinoids are not stored in synaptic vesicles. 

Rather, they are both produced within neurons and released to flow backward across the synapse to find their receptors, designated as CBi and CBz. There are probably more of these CB receptors for marijuana in the human brain than for any other known neurotransmitter. The great abundance of these receptors and their widespread location gives an indication of importance of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of the brain s normal functioning. 

When marijuana is ingested or inhaled, THC binds to cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain and body, where it mimics the actions of internally produced neurotransmitters, such as the endocannabinoid known as anandamide. Anandamide is named after the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss. ... 

Abstract The cannabinoid neurotransmitter system comprises cannabinoid G protein-coupled membrane receptors (CBi and CB2), endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), as well as mechanisms for their synthesis, membrane transport and metabolism. Within the brain the marijuana constituent -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produces its pharmacological actions by acting on cannabinoid CBl receptors. THC modulates neuronal excitability by inhibiting synaptic trans-... 

Wilson RI, Nicoll RA (2002) Endocannabinoid signalling in the brain. Science 296 678-682 Wilson WH, Mathew RJ (2002) Effects of marijuana on brain Eunction and structure. In ... 

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