Early in postnatal life, mossy fibres (MF), the axons of granule cells in the dentate gyrus, release GABA which is depolarizing and excitatory. Synaptic currents undergo spike-time dependent long-term depression (STD-LTD) regardless of the temporal order of stimulation (pre versus post and viceversa). Here we show that at P3 but not at P21, STD-LTD, induced by negative pairing, is mediated by e...

Activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors reduces glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the rodent striatum and is involved in the normal control of motor function by the basal ganglia. Here we investigated CB1 receptor regulation of glutamate release and uptake and synaptic transmission in the rat striatum. We show that CB1 receptor activation reduces both the release and uptake of [3H]glutamat...

In light of the adverse side-effects of opioids, cannabinoid receptor agonists may provide an effective alternative for the treatment of cancer pain. This study examined the potency and efficacy of synthetic CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists in a murine model of tumor pain. Intraplantar injection of the CB1 receptor agonist arachidonylcyclopropylamide (ED(50) of 18.4 μg) reduced tumor-related mecha...

Clinical use of antineoplastic drugs is associated with the development of numerous adverse effects that many patients find intolerable, including peripheral neuropathy. Cannabinoids have relieved neuropathic pain in different animal models. But their therapeutic activities could be affected by their psychoactive properties. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of cannabinoids in ci...

Inhibition of primary afferent neurons contributes to the antihyperalgesic effects of opioid and CB1 receptor agonists. Two bioassays were used to compare the effects of the CB1 receptor agonist CP 55,940 and morphine on dissociated adult rat DRG neurons. Both agonists inhibited the increase in free intracellular Ca2+ concentration evoked by depolarization; however, effects of CP 55,940 occurre...

Cannabinoids, as multi‑target mediators, activate cannabinoid receptors and transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels. There is evidence to support a functional interaction of cannabinoid receptors and TRPV channels when they are coexpressed. Human conjunctiva demonstrates widespread cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), CB2 and TRPV channel localization. The aim of the present study ...

It has recently been discovered that some forms of timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) require presynaptic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. In this review, we discuss the evidence for the presence of presynaptic NMDA receptors at cortical synapses and their possible role in the induction of t-LTD. Two basic models emerge for the induction of t-LTD at cortical synapses. In one mo...

Chronic voluntary wheel-running activity has been reported to hypersensitise central CB1 receptors in mice. On the other hand, pharmacological findings suggest that the CB1 receptor could be involved in wheel-running behaviour and in running-induced neurogenesis in the hippocampus. We analysed wheel-running behaviour for 6 weeks and measured its consequences on hippocampal neurogenesis in CB1 k...