“Cannabis has a reputation for inducing feelings of peace and love – and now scientists claim they have found the reason why. A new study reveals the illegal drug acts much in the same way as chemicals produced by the natural ‘love hormone’ oxytocin, which is known to boost emotional feelings and bonding towards romantic partners, between mothers and babies and friends. The research, conducted on mice, found that higher levels of oxytocin led to the release of anandamide – which behaves very similarly in the brain to the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC. Both chemicals attach to the same brain cell receptors, producing a similar ‘high’. As part of the study, the researchers found that blocking anandamide reduced the pro-social effects of oxytocin – while a drug which preserved anandamide in the mice’s brains seemed to make them happier around other mice than other, untreated, animals. Scientists say the results could highlight new paths for research in the treatment of autism, for which symptoms often include difficulty socialising. It is very difficult to directly deliver oxytocin to the brain, however.
Cannabis 'mimics love hormone in the brain', study finds – marking new research possibilities for autism
Dr Daniele Piomelli, of the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, Italy, said another strategy could be to intervene further down the oxytocin-anandamide pathway.
The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”
http://www.itv.com/news/2015-10-27/cannabis-mimics-love-hormone-in-the-brain-study-finds/
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“We recently uncovered a signaling mechanism by which the endocannabinoid anandamide mediates the action of oxytocin, a neuropeptide that is crucial for social behavior, to control social reward. Oxytocin signaling has been implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and social reward is a key aspect of social functioning that is thought to be disrupted in ASD. Therefore, as a proof of principle for the core component of ASD—social impairment—we tested an endocannabinoid-enhancing compound on two widely studied mouse models of ASD, the BTBR and fmr1−/− (model of Fragile X Syndrome).
Remarkably, we found that FAAH blockade completely reversed the social impairment in both mouse models. CB1 receptor blockade prevented the prosocial action of FAAH inhibition in BTBR mice.
The results suggest that increasing anandamide activity at CB1 receptors improves ASD-related social impairment and identify FAAH as a novel therapeutic target for ASD.
“Phytocannabinoids, such as THC and endocannabinoids, are well known to promote feeding behavior and to control energy metabolism through 