Annual Review of Psychology· 2012Q1· Review
The Endocannabinoid System and the Brain
- 1,090citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2012year
Short summary
The endocannabinoid system, comprising CB1/CB2 receptors and endogenous cannabinoids like anandamide, modulates various central nervous system functions including anxiety, depression, neurogenesis, reward, cognition, learning, and memory.
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Key points
- The endocannabinoid system includes CB1/CB2 receptors and endogenous cannabinoids (anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol).
- This system influences central nervous system functions such as anxiety, depression, neurogenesis, reward, cognition, learning, and memory.
- Effects of the endocannabinoid system can be biphasic, with low doses producing opposite effects to high doses.
- Numerous endocannabinoid-like compounds have been identified, with potential to reveal more about brain functions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The psychoactive constituent in cannabis, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was isolated in the mid-1960s, but the cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, and the major endogenous cannabinoids (anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol) were identified only 20 to 25 years later. The cannabinoid system affects both central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral processes. In this review, we have tried to summarize research--with an emphasis on recent publications--on the actions of the endocannabinoid system on anxiety, depression, neurogenesis, reward, cognition, learning, and memory. The effects are at times biphasic--lower doses causing effects opposite to those seen at high doses. Recently, numerous endocannabinoid-like compounds have been identified in the brain. Only a few have been investigated for their CNS activity, and future investigations on their action may throw light on a wide spectrum of brain functions.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Annual Review of Psychology, 2012 · DOI ↗
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Field: Pharmacology (Medicine)
PharmacologyMedicine