The Highs and Lows of the Endocannabinoid System—Another Piece to the Epilepsy Puzzle?

American Epilepsy Society

“Cannabis extracts have been used for the treatment of epilepsy for centuries.

Yet, until recently, this empirical use was not linked to a known mechanism of action. Of the two main and most frequently investigated compounds derived from the cannabis plant, the mechanism of action of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is relatively clear and well documented (via CB1R distributed mainly centrally and CB2R distributed mainly peripherally).

The components of endocannabinoid system (ECS) are omnipresent in our bodies and have very divergent roles. Modulating ECS may have therapeutic potential in many human maladies, including psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or schizophrenia), neurologic conditions, including epilepsy and neurodegenerative processes, diabetes and its complications, obesity, pain management, cancer treatment, graft versus host disease, treatment of chemotherapy side effects, and so on. The list is long, and it is constantly growing.

We investigated changes in the endocannabinoid system and glucose metabolism during temporal lobe epileptogenesis.

This study provides unique evidence that the CB1R is dynamically and progressively involved from the start of mesial temporal lobe epileptogenesis.”

http://epilepsycurrents.org/doi/10.5698/1535-7597.18.5.315

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