0000000000309018
AUTHOR
Miriam Schneider
Cannabis, Cannabinoide und das Endocannabinoidsystem
Die Nutzung der Hanfpflanze (Cannabis L.) und ihrer Produkte durch den Menschen zu religiosen und medizinischen Zwecken, aber auch wegen ihrer euphorischen und entspannenden Wirkung, reicht tausende von Jahren zuruck. Der Hanf gehort ebenso wie die Gattung Humulus (Hopfen) der Familie der Cannabaceae (Hanfgewachse) an. Die Anzahl der Arten in der Gattung Cannabis wurde lange diskutiert und bleibt weiterhin umstritten. Gegenstand der Debatte war die Frage, ob Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica und Cannabis ruderalis jeweils eigene Arten darstellen. Aktuell wird meist eine einzige vielfaltige Art (Cannabis sativa L.) mit verschiedenen Variationen angenommen, andere Forscher pladieren dagegen fu…
Enhanced Functional Activity of the Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptor Mediates Adolescent Behavior.
Adolescence is characterized by drastic behavioral adaptations and comprises a particularly vulnerable period for the emergence of various psychiatric disorders. Growing evidence reveals that the pathophysiology of these disorders might derive from aberrations of normal neurodevelopmental changes in the adolescent brain. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of adolescent behavior is therefore critical for understanding the origin of psychopathology, but the molecular mechanisms that trigger adolescent behavior are unknown. Here, we hypothesize that the cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1R) may play a critical role in mediating adolescent behavior because enhanced endocannabinoid (eCB) sig…
Cannabiskonsum zum Freizeitgebrauch
Zur gezielten Aufnahme, Verarbeitung und Speicherung der komplexen sensorischen Informationen unserer Umwelt benotigen wir kognitive Fahigkeiten. Unter „Kognition” versteht man dabei eine Vielzahl bewusster sowie unbewusster neuronaler Prozesse des Gehirns, die bei der Verarbeitung externer und interner Informationen ablaufen.
Adverse Social Experiences in Adolescent Rats Result in Enduring Effects on Social Competence, Pain Sensitivity and Endocannabinoid Signaling
Abstract: Social affiliation is essential for many species and gains significant importance during adolescence. Disturbances in social affiliation, in particular social rejection experiences during adolescence, affect an individual's well-being and are involved in the emergence of psychiatric disorders. The underlying mechanisms are still unknown, partly because of a lack of valid animal models. By using a novel animal model for social peer rejection, which compromises adolescent rats in their ability to appropriately engage in playful activities, here we report on persistent impairments in social behavior and dysregulations in the endocannabinoid (eCB) system. From postnatal day (pd) 21 to…
Loss of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type IV in dopaminoceptive neurons enhances behavioral effects of cocaine.
The persistent nature of addiction has been associated with activity-induced plasticity of neurons within the striatum and nucleus accumbens (NAc). To identify the molecular processes leading to these adaptations, we performed Cre/loxP-mediated genetic ablations of two key regulators of gene expression in response to activity, the Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) and its postulated main target, the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB). We found that acute cocaine-induced gene expression in the striatum was largely unaffected by the loss of CaMKIV. On the behavioral level, mice lacking CaMKIV in dopaminoceptive neurons displayed increased sensitivity to cocai…