“We hypothesized that the endocannabinoid (EC) system, a neuromodulatory system intrinsic to the cortical microcircuitry, is an important regulator of up-states and sleep…
Overall, these findings demonstrate that the EC system actively regulates cortical up-states and important features of NREM sleep such as its duration and low frequency cortical oscillations.”
“This unit describes the use of cannabinoid radioligands in competitive binding assays for determining affinity parameters (IC50 , Ki ) of unlabeled compounds at transfected CB1 and CB2 receptors expressed in cell lines.”
“The relevance of CB2R-mediated therapeutic effects is well-known for the treatment of inflammatory and neuropathic pain and neurodegenerative disorders. In our search for new cannabinoid receptor modulators, we report the optimization of a series of 1,2-dihydro-2-oxopyridine-3-carboxamide derivatives as CB2R ligands…”
“…several studies have suggested benefits of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) for patients with anxiety disorders.
Elevated fear is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of particular anxiety disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the dietary n-3 to n-6 PUFA (3/6) ratio influences fear memory…
These results suggest that the ratio of n-3 to n-6 PUFA is a factor regulating fear memory via cannabinoid CB1 receptors.”
“Blood coagulation studies were conducted to determine the possible anti-/prothrombotic effect of an organic cannabis extract and the three major cannabinoids, THC, CBD and CBN…
The study thus shows that Cannabis sativa and the cannabinoids, THC and CBN, display anticoagulant activity and may be useful in the treatment of diseases such as type 2 diabetes in which a hypercoagulable state exists.”
“Cannabis is widely used for treating a number of gastrointestinal ailments…
In the present study, we tested the effects (in rats) of a simple extract of medicinal cannabis (called “MFF”) for its ability to promote resolution of colitis…
These results demonstrate that a simple extract of medicinal cannabis can significantly enhance resolution of inflammation and injury, as well as prevent injury, in the gastrointestinal tract. Interestingly, different cannabinoid receptors were involved in some of the effects. MFF may serve as the basis for a simple preparation of cannabis that would produce beneficial effects in the GI tract with reduced systemic toxicity.”
“We used expressed sequence tag library and whole genome sequence mining to identify a suite of putative desaturase genes representing the four main activities required for production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in hemp seed oil. Phylogenetic-based classification and developing seed transcriptome analysis informed selection for further analysis of one of seven Δ12 desaturases and one of three Δ15 desaturases that we designate CSFAD2A and CSFAD3A, respectively. Heterologous expression of corresponding cDNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed CSFAD2A to have Δx+3 activity, while CSFAD3A activity was exclusively at the Δ15 position. TILLING of an ethyl methane sulphonate mutagenized population identified multiple alleles including non-sense mutations in both genes and fatty acid composition of seed oil confirmed these to be the major Δ12 and Δ15 desaturases in developing hemp seed. Following four backcrosses and sibling crosses to achieve homozygosity, csfad2a-1 was grown in the field and found to produce a 70 molar per cent high oleic acid (18:1Δ9 ) oil at yields similar to wild type. Cold-pressed high oleic oil produced fewer volatiles and had a sevenfold increase in shelf life compared to wild type. Two low abundance octadecadienoic acids, 18:2Δ6,9 and 18:2Δ9,15 , were identified in the high oleic oil, and their presence suggests remaining endogenous desaturase activities utilize the increased levels of oleic acid as substrate. Consistent with this, CSFAD3A produces 18:2Δ9,15 from endogenous 18:1Δ9 when expressed in S. cerevisiae. This work lays the foundation for the development of additional novel oil varieties in this multipurpose low input crop.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24506492
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.12167/full
“Oil composition boost makes hemp a cooking contender. Scientists report the development of hemp plants with a dramatically increased content of oleic acid. The new oil profile results in an attractive cooking oil that is similar to olive oil in terms of fatty acid content, having a much longer shelf life, as well as greater heat tolerance and potentially more industrial applications.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140210083104.htm
“Kaercher said no matter what treatments Grace is on, the seizures continue. She has tried every option except medical marijuana, which isn’t legal in Pennsylvania,
Kaercher said. “Marijuana isn’t that extreme compared to all these other things we have done,” Kaercher said. Kaercher, 45, has watched her daughter suffer from seizures since Grace was a baby. Kaercher said Grave is so brave for going out into the world every day and her heart breaks every time Grace has a seizure.“It’s been a long road for us,” Kaercher said. “We hope medical marijuana will be a viable option for her.””
“From cinnamon buns in the morning to a burger after a long run, food never smells as good as when you’re superhungry.
Now scientists have uncovered a clue as to why that might be — and it lies in the munchies and marijuana.
Receptors in the brains of mice that light up when the animals are high are also activated when the critters are fasting, French scientists reported Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
In other words, skipping a meal triggered the same hunger-inducing brain receptors that marijuana does. And it works, at least in mice, by boosting the sense of smell, neuroscientist Giovanni Marsicano and his team at the Universite de Bordeaux report.
That’s because the receptors that get activated are located in the smelling center of the brain. And sense of smell is known to be a key factor driving appetite.
In case you’re wondering, the mice didn’t toke up. The researchers injected the rodents withTHC, the active ingredient in marijuana.”
“The endocannabinoid system controls food intake via olfactory processes.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24509429
“Hunger arouses sensory perception, eventually leading to an increase in food intake, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We found that cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors promote food intake in fasted mice by increasing odor detection.
CB1 receptors were abundantly expressed on axon terminals of centrifugal cortical glutamatergic neurons that project to inhibitory granule cells of the main olfactory bulb (MOB).
Local pharmacological and genetic manipulations revealed that endocannabinoids and exogenous cannabinoids increased odor detection and food intake in fasted mice by decreasing excitatory drive from olfactory cortex areas to the MOB.
Consistently, cannabinoid agonists dampened in vivo optogenetically stimulated excitatory transmission in the same circuit.
Our data indicate that cortical feedback projections to the MOB crucially regulate food intake via CB1 receptor signaling, linking the feeling of hunger to stronger odor processing.Thus, CB1 receptor-dependent control of cortical feedback projections in olfactory circuits couples internal states to perception and behavior.”