Refilling the supply of cannabinoid receptors in the brain could help relieve mood and anxiety disorders and can enable some people to quit using marijuana, demonstrates a new study.
The study conducted by Vanderbilt University showed that chronic use of marijuana down-regulates cannabinoid receptors, and thus paradoxically increases anxiety and this can lead to a "vicious cycle" of increasing marijuana use that in some cases leads to addiction.
Chronic Marijuana Use Could be Curbed by Natural 'High'
If the supply of a molecule that normally activates cannabinoid receptors in the brain is replenished, it could relieve mood and anxiety disorders. This could help people to quit using marijuana.
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Cannabinoid receptors are normally activated by compounds in the brain called endocannabinoids, the most abundant of which is 2-AG. They also are "turned on" by the active ingredient in marijuana.
Sachin Patel, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues developed a genetically modified mouse with impaired ability to produce 2-AG in the brain. The mice exhibited anxiety-like behaviors, and female mice also displayed behaviors suggestive of depression.
![Blood Vessel Damage Equal With Secondhand Marijuana and Tobacco Smoke]( "Blood Vessel Damage Equal With Secondhand Marijuana and Tobacco Smoke")
Damage to heart and blood vessels are similar due to breathing secondhand marijuana smoke and secondhand cigarette smoke, reveals a preliminary research.
Research confirmed that some people who were anxious and depressed had low levels of 2-AG, this method of normalizing 2-AG deficiency could represent a viable and therapeutic strategy for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.
Patel and his colleagues previously have found cannabinoid receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala of the mouse. The amygdala is a key emotional hub in the brain involved in regulating anxiety and the flight-or-fight response.
They also have found that chemically modified inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme they developed relieve anxiety behaviors in mice by activating natural "endocannabinoids" without gastrointestinal side effects. Clinical trials of some of these potential drugs could begin in the next several years.
The study is published in online edition of the journal Cell Reports.
Source: ANI
Blood Vessel Damage Equal With Secondhand Marijuana and Tobacco Smoke
Damage to heart and blood vessels are similar due to breathing secondhand marijuana smoke and secondhand cigarette smoke, reveals a preliminary research.
Advertisement
Research confirmed that some people who were anxious and depressed had low levels of 2-AG, this method of normalizing 2-AG deficiency could represent a viable and therapeutic strategy for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.
Patel and his colleagues previously have found cannabinoid receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala of the mouse. The amygdala is a key emotional hub in the brain involved in regulating anxiety and the flight-or-fight response.
They also have found that chemically modified inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme they developed relieve anxiety behaviors in mice by activating natural "endocannabinoids" without gastrointestinal side effects. Clinical trials of some of these potential drugs could begin in the next several years.
The study is published in online edition of the journal Cell Reports.
Source: ANI
Following Fatalities, Sweden Seeks Ban on Synthetic Marijuana
The Swedish health ministry said the country has asked the European Union for the right to speed up a ban on substances.
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Marijuana Vote in US Capital Embraced By CampaignersThe initiative to legalize the personal possession and home cultivation of marijuana will be embraced by campaigners as residents of the US capital is all set to vote next week. | Advertisement
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