Glucocorticoids rapidly stimulate endocannabinoid synthesis and modulation of synaptic transmission in hypothalamic neuroendocrine cells via a nongenomic signaling mechanism. The endocannabinoid actions are synapse-constrained by astrocyte restriction of extracellular spatial domains. Exogenous cannabinoids have been shown to modulate postsynaptic potassium currents, including the A-type potass...

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest potential roles of the endocannabinoid system in gastrointestinal inflammation. Although cannabinoid CB(2) receptor expression is increased in inflammatory disorders, the presence and function of the remaining proteins of the endocannabinoid system in the colonic tissue is not well characterized. METHODOLOGY Cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors, the enzymes ...

BACKGROUND Endocannabinoids modulate the glutamatergic excitatory transmission by acting as retrograde messengers. A growing body of studies has reported that both signaling systems in the mesocorticolimbic neural circuitry are involved in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying drug addiction. METHODS We investigated whether the expression of both endocannabinoid and glutamatergic systems ...

Introduction: Ferulic acid, a phenolic phytochemical with neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, has shown promising antidepressant-like effects in behavioral studies; however, its mechanism(s) of action have not been fully understood. Based on the contribution of nerve growth factor (NGF) and endocannabinoid signaling (eCBs) to the emotional or antidepressant activ...

CONTEXT Cannabinoid CB(1) receptor blockade decreases weight and hyperinsulinemia in obese animals and humans in a way greatly independent from food intake. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the regulation and function of the endocannabinoid system in adipocytes and pancreatic beta-cells. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Mouse 3T3-F442A adipocytes and rat insulinoma RIN-...

Oral sensory signals drive dietary fat intake, but the neural mechanisms underlying this process are largely unknown. The endocannabinoid system has gained recent attention for its central and peripheral roles in regulating food intake, energy balance, and reward. Here, we used a sham-feeding paradigm, which isolates orosensory from postingestive influences of foods, to examine whether endocann...

Central endocannabinoid signaling is known to be responsive to stressful stimuli; however, there is no research to date characterizing the effects of stress on peripheral endocannabinoid content. The current study examined serum content of the endocannabinoid ligands N-arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and the non-cannabinoid N-acyl ethanolamine (NAE) ...

Many types of neurons release endocannabinoids from their dendrites in response to elevation of intracellular calcium levels. Endocannabinoids then activate presynaptic cannabinoid receptors, thereby inhibiting neurotransmitter release for tens of seconds. A crucial step in understanding the physiological role of this retrograde signaling is to determine its sensitivity to elevations of postsyn...

Endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) are endogenous compounds that resemble the active ingredient of marijuana and activate the cannabinoid receptor in the brain. They mediate retrograde signaling from principal cells to both inhibitory ["depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition" (DSI)] and excitatory ("depolarization-induced suppression of excitation") afferent fibers. Transient ...

The endocannabinoids and their main receptor, cannabinoid type-1 (CB1), suppress intracellular cyclic AMP levels and have emerged as key players in the control of energy metabolism. CB1 agonists and blockers have been reported to influence the thermogenic function of white and brown adipose tissue (WAT and BAT), affecting body weight through the inhibition and stimulation of energy expenditure,...