The endocannabinoid system in normal and pathological brain ageing.

Authors: Andras Bilkei-Gorzo
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 5 December 2012

The role of endocannabinoids as inhibitory retrograde transmitters is now widely known and intensively studied. However, endocannabinoids also influence neuronal activity by exerting neuroprotective effects and regulating glial responses. This review centres around this less-s…

Lower levels of cannabinoid 1 receptor mRNA in female eating disorder patients: association with wrist cutting as impulsive self-injurious behavior.

Authors: Marc Schroeder, Christian Eberlein, Martina de Zwaan, Johannes Kornhuber, Stefan Bleich, Helge Frieling
Psychoneuroendocrinology, December 2012

The cannabinoid 1 (CB 1) receptor as the primary mediator of the endocannabinoid (EC) system was found to play a role in eating disorders (EDs), depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior. The CB 1 receptor is assumed to play a crucial role in the central reward circuitry with…

The molecular connections between the cannabinoid system and endometriosis.

Authors: A.M. Sanchez, P. Vigano, A. Mugione, P. Panina-Bordignon, M. Candiani
Molecular Human Reproduction, December 2012

The endocannabinoid system consists of an array of endogenously produced bioactive lipids that activate cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2) receptors. Alterations of this system have been described in almost every category of disease. These changes can be protective or maladaptive…

Multiple sclerosis and extract of cannabis: results of the MUSEC trial.

Authors: John Peter Zajicek, Jeremy C. Hobart, Anita Slade, David Barnes, Paul G. Mattison
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry, November 2012

OBJECTIVE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with chronic symptoms, including muscle stiffness, spasms, pain and insomnia. Here we report the results of the Multiple Sclerosis and Extract of Cannabis (MUSEC) study that aimed to substantiate the patient based findings of pr…

Cannabinoid exposure in adolescent female rats induces transgenerational effects on morphine conditioned place preference in male offspring.

Authors: John J Byrnes, Nicole L Johnson, Marian E Schenk, Elizabeth M Byrnes
Journal of Psychopharmacology, October 2012

In the United States, marijuana is one of the drugs most abused by adolescents, with females representing a growing number of users. In previous studies, treatment of adolescent female rats with morphine significantly altered brain reward systems in future offspring. As both c…

Mitigation of post-traumatic stress symptoms by Cannabis resin: a review of the clinical and neurobiological evidence.

Authors: Torsten Passie, Hinderk M. Emrich, Matthias Karst, Simon D. Brandt, John H. Halpern
Drug Testing and Analysis, July-August 2012

It is known from clinical studies that some patients attempt to cope with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by using recreational drugs. This review presents a case report of a 19-year-old male patient with a spectrum of severe PTSD symptoms, such as intens…

Smoked cannabis for spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Authors: Jody Corey-Bloom, Tanya Wolfson, Anthony Gamst, Shelia Jin, Thomas D. Marcotte, et al
CMAJ, 10 July 2012

BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a common and poorly controlled symptom of multiple sclerosis. Our objective was to determine the short-term effect of smoked cannabis on this symptom. METHODS: We conducted a placebo-controlled, crossover trial involving adult patients with multiple s…

Cannabinoid receptor type 1 and 2 expression in the skin of healthy dogs and dogs with atopic dermatitis.

Authors: Luca Campora, Vincenzo Miragliotta, Emanuele Ricci, Luigia Cristino, Vincenzo Di Marzo, et al
American Journal of Veterinary Research, July 2012

OBJECTIVE: To determine the distribution of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) in skin (including hair follicles and sweat and sebaceous glands) of clinically normal dogs and dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD) and to compare results with thos…

Circulating endocannabinoid concentrations and sexual arousal in women.

Authors: Carolin Klein, Matthew N. Hill, Sabrina C.H. Chang, Cecilia J. Hillard, Boris B. Gorzalka
Journal of Sexual Medicine, June 2012

INTRODUCTION: Several lines of evidence point to the potential role of the endocannabinoid system in female sexual functioning. These include results from studies describing the subjective effects of exogenous cannabinoids on sexual functioning in humans and the observable eff…

Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent, as an anxiolytic drug.

Authors: Alexandre Rafael de Mello Schier, Natalia Pinho de Oliveira Ribeiro, et al
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, June 2012

OBJECTIVES: To review and describe studies of the non-psychotomimetic constituent of Cannabis sativa, cannabidiol (CBD), as an anxiolytic drug and discuss its possible mechanisms of action. METHOD:
The articles selected for the review were identified through searches in Englis…

Nabiximols for opioid-treated cancer patients with poorly-controlled chronic pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, graded-dose trial.

Authors: Russell K. Portenoy, Elena Doina Ganae-Motan, Silvia Allende, Ronald Yanagihara, et al
The Journal of Pain, May 2012

Patients with advanced cancer who have pain that responds poorly to opioid therapy pose a clinical challenge. Nabiximols (Nabiximols is the U.S. Adopted Name [USAN] for Sativex [GW Pharma Ltd, Wiltshire, U.K.], which does not yet have an INN), a novel cannabinoid formulation, …

Nabiximols for opioid-treated cancer patients with poorly-controlled chronic pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, graded-dose trial.

Authors: Russell K. Portenoy, Elena Doina Ganae-Motan, Silvia Allende, Ronald Yanagihara, et al
The Journal of Pain, May 2012

Patients with advanced cancer who have pain that responds poorly to opioid therapy pose a clinical challenge. Nabiximols (Nabiximols is the U.S. Adopted Name [USAN] for Sativex [GW Pharma Ltd, Wiltshire, U.K.], which does not yet have an INN), a novel cannabinoid formulation…