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Neuroscience & Neurology
August 14, 2007

I Grow My Own in The Brain, Thank You: Endocannabinoids and Marijuana

By Sudip Ghosh, MD | 10 Comments | Share | Print | Email | Tweet | Like | 1+

Neuroscience_Neurology.jpgA researcher at the University of Buffalo’s Institute of Addictions won a five year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the role of “endocannabinoids” (the brain’s own marijuana) in combating stress and anxiety, an integral part of modern lifestyles. The study, as recently revealed on the University of Buffalo’s website, is an attempt to address one of the most widely acknowledged reasons why people abuse marijuana worldwide — to relieve stress.

However, because of its addictive potential, marijuana cannot be clinically used in the treatment of stress related mood disorders, for example, anxiety. But this study could open the doors to a harmless and more cost-effective way to deal with this problem — using the brain’s own source of marijuana-type molecules, the endocannabinoids.

Research into endocannabinoids (ECs) is a relatively recent development over the last decade, and it is known that they affect a vast array of interlinked body systems, with EC receptors found in the brain, gastro-intestinal tract, and fat cells. For instance, it has been widely reported that the EC system in our brain makes us feel hungrier and increases our food intake. In the muscles, EC over-activity causes resistance to insulin, leading to a diabetes-type condition; while in the fat cells, it leads to over production of triglycerides and accumulation of body fat. Several drugs designed to block EC receptors are in the pipeline, or seeking FDA approval for the fight against obesity.

ECs have also been implicated in tobacco addiction, through the effect of nicotine on the brain’s limbic system leading to the release of huge amounts of ECs. Smoking might be used for stress relief for pretty much the same reason as marijuana, although it has historically been more “socially acceptable.” In fact Rimonabant, the first prototype EC-blocker, is promising for both weight loss and smoking cessation, and although approved in the European Union, is awaiting approval from the US FDA.

At a more fundamental level perhaps, ECs are part of the body’s “reward and pleasure” system in the brain, and could perhaps hold the clue to why some of us indulge in “emotional overeating” while under stress, and put on more weight. In the future selective EC receptor agonists or blockers could be used to suppress appetite on one hand or relieve stress on the other, without the necessity for the two effects to be linked together.

It might also put an end to cannabis abuse for a large proportion of users who rely on it for stress relief.

Reference:

Xie S, Furjanic MA, et al. The endocannabinoid system and rimonabant: a new drug with a novel mechanism of action involving cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonism–or inverse agonism—as potential obesity treatment and other therapeutic use. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2007 Jun;32(3):209-31.

Sudip Ghosh, MD

Dr. Ghosh is a surgeon at the University of Manchester, UK and a medical writer.

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10 Responses

  1. Zachary Tong says:
    August 14, 2007 at 11:01 am

    I’m not trying to plug my own blog, but I recently posted a spotlight on the Endocannabinoid System that people may find interesting. It gives a functional summary of the endocannabinoid system and seven recent studies pertaining to the endocannabinoid system.

    Reply
  2. Rebecca says:
    August 14, 2007 at 3:55 pm

    It’s so interesting all of the things people do to try to relieve stress…we are a creative bunch, us humans, aren’t we? Some are so harmful to our systems….drugs, alcohol, overeating…even some might say excessive tv watching, movie going, isn’t that great, but sure is a fun stress relief! I’d suggest another addition to the list…something that is actually good for you as it relieves stress….hypnotherapy and guided meditations. It’s truly amazing what we are capable of doing to help heal ourselves from within the subconscience mind. Give a free session a try to see if it will help you relieve stress at http://www.hypno-freedom.com.

    Reply
  3. Janna says:
    August 15, 2007 at 9:22 am

    Fascinating comparisons. If they could somehow harness the stress relieving abilities of ECs, so many illnesses could be cured it boggles the mind. There are so many excellent possibilities there!

    Reply
  4. FitBuff - Total Mind and Body Fitness says:
    August 20, 2007 at 10:14 am

    Hey Shaheen!

    Thanks for another great article. We’ve included it in our Eleventh Edition of the Total Mind and Body Fitness Carnival.

    Please click on the following links to Digg and/or Stumble the post to bring even more readers to see your article:

    Digg This!

    Stumble This!

    If you have any questions at all, just let us know. And feel free to submit more great articles to our next carnival by using the submission link below:

    http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_1766.html

    Reply
  5. Andreea Socolov says:
    February 14, 2008 at 11:10 am

    The possible therapeutic use of marijuanas active principles, the cannabinoids, is currently being debated. It is now known that these substances exert several of their pharmacological actions by activating specific cell membrane receptors, the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptor subtypes. This knowledge led to the design of synthetic cannabinoid agonists and antagonists with high therapeutic potential. The recent discovery of the endocannabinoids, i.e. endogenous metabolites capable of activating the cannabinoid receptors, and the understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to their biosynthesis and inactivation, opened a new era in research on the pharmaceutical applications of cannabinoids.

    Reply
  6. Dale says:
    August 4, 2008 at 7:58 am

    Addictive potential? Marijuana has no addictive potential. Don’t be taken in by propaganda. Some people may have a tendency to become psychologically dependent on substances like marijuana, but many prescription and over the counter drugs have a true addictive potential, so why pick on pot?

    Moreover, people who use cannabis to relieve stress are not “abusers”. Sure, there are people who abuse pot, but just a little now and then is not pot abuse any more than a glass of wine is alcohol abuse.

    Reply
  7. cynth john says:
    November 28, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    i dont know
    how this get out of me
    ive been suffering 1months
    and 2 weeks
    how will this get out of me??

    can somebody help me??

    Reply
  1. USA: I grow my own in the brain, thank you. Endocannabinoids and marijuana. - Marijuana.com says:
    August 14, 2007 at 11:37 am

    [...] and marijuana. I grow my own in the brain, thank you. Endocannabinoids and marijuana. 8-14-’07 | BrainBlogger.com | by Supid Ghosh A researcher at the University of Buffalo’s Institute of Addictions won a five [...]

    Reply
  2. Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival #11 | FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog says:
    August 20, 2007 at 6:23 am

    [...] Lakhan presents I grow my own in the brain, thank you. Endocannabinoids and marijuana. posted at GNIF Brain [...]

    Reply
  3. RDoctor Medical says:
    September 4, 2007 at 1:23 am

    August Edition of All Things medical is up….

    August Edition of All Things medical includes these posts.

    ……

    Reply

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