Endocannabinoid Signalling Flashcards
What is THC?
The main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis
What effect does THC injection have on mice?
- Inhibition of spontaneous locomotor activity
- Antinociception
- Hypothermia
- Immobility
What did Howlett demonstrate?
That cannabinoids cause inhibition of adenylyl cyclase in neuroblastoma cells
Where are cannabinoid binding sites most common in the brain?
- Hippocampus (Memory)
- Neocortex (Cognition, perception)
- Basal ganglia & cerebellum (movement)
What receptor is most strongly associated with the effects of cannabinoids?
CB1
What did Matsuda et al (1990) discover?
CB1, a gene encoding a brain cannabinoid receptor
What did Monory et al (2007) show?
That the effects of THC are abolished in CB1-knockout mice
What did Munro et al (1983) find?
CB2, which is expressed by immune cells
What are CB1 and CB2?
G-protein coupled receptors
How do cannabinoids cause CB1-dependent inhibition?
- Inhibition of voltage-gated calcium channels
* Inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity
What inhibitory NT does CB1 most frequently inhibit?
GABA
What types of neurotransmission do cannabinoids inhibit?
Both excitatory and inhibitory
What excitatory NT does CB1 most frequently inhibit?
Glutamate
What type of molecules are endogenous cannabinoid receptors?
Ligands
How is anandamide inactivated in cells?
Anandamide is converted to arachidonic acid and ethanolamide by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)
