“The endocannabinoid system in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis… Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative condition… there is significant evidence that several neurotoxic mechanisms including excitotoxicity, inflammation and oxidative stress, all contribute to disease pathogenesis… there is increasing evidence that cannabinoids and manipulation of the endocannabinoid system may have therapeutic value in ALS, in addition to other neurodegenerative conditions. Cannabinoids exert anti-glutamatergic and anti-inflammatory actions through activation of the CB(1) and CB(2) receptors… cannabinoid agents also exert anti-oxidant actions… the ability of cannabinoids to target multiple neurotoxic pathways in different cell populations increase their therapeutic potential in the treatment of ALS.”
Tag Archives: CB(1) and CB(2) receptors
The endocannabinoid system and neurogenesis in health and disease.
Consuming plant cannabinoids leads to neurogenesis (birth of neurons), thanks to the endocannabinoid system.
“The endocannabinoid system exerts an important neuromodulatory function in different brain areas and is also known to be involved in the regulation of neural cell fate.
Thus, CB(1) cannabinoid receptors are neuroprotective in different models of brain injury, and their expression is altered in various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent findings have demonstrated the presence of a functional endocannabinoid system in neural progenitor cells that participates in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation.
In this Research Update, the authors address the experimental evidence regarding the regulatory role of cannabinoids in neurogenesis and analyze them in the context of those pathological disorders in which cannabinoid function and altered neuronal or glial generation is most relevant, for example, stroke and multiple sclerosis.”