Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Morten L. Kringelbach, Josephine Cruzat, Joana Cabral, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Robin Carhart-Harris, Peter C. Whybrow Nikos K. Logothetis, and Gustavo Deco PNAS, 2020, 1-11 doi : 10.1073/pnas.1921475117 Remarkable progress has come from whole-brain models linking anatomy and function. Paradoxically, it is not clear how a neuronal dynamical system running in the fixed human anatomical connectome can give rise to the rich changes in the functional repertoire associated with human brain function, which is impossible to explain through long-term plasticity. Neuromodulation evolved to allow for such flexibility by dynamically updating the effectivity of the fixed anatomical connectivity. [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol Improves Cognitive Impairment and Reverses Cortical Transcriptional Changes Induced by Ketamine, in Schizophrenia-Like Model in Rats Ewa Kozela & Martyna Krawczyk & Tomasz Kos & Ana Juknat & Zvi Vogel & Piotr Popik Molecular Neurobiology, 2019, Doi : 10.1007/s12035-019-01831-2 Abstract Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, demonstrates antipsychotic-like and procognitive activities in humans and in animal models of schizophrenia. The mechanisms of these beneficial effects of CBD are unknown. Here, we examined behavioral effects of CBD in a pharmacological model of schizophrenia-like cognitive deficits induced by repeated ketamine (KET) administration. In parallel, we assessed transcriptional changes behind CBD activities in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics and potential benefits in “healthy normals”: A review of the literature Sam GANDY Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 2019, 3, (3), 280–287. Doi : 10.1556/2054.2019.029 We are in the midst of a psychedelic research renaissance. With research examining the efficacy of psychedelics as a treatment for a range of mental health indications still in its early stages, there is an increasing body of research to show that careful use of psychedelics can yield a variety of benefits in “healthy normals” and so lead to “the betterment of well people.” Psychedelics have been found to modulate neuroplasticity, and usage in a supportive setting can result [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis and the developing brain : Insights from behavior Viviana Trezza, Vincenzo Cuomo, Louk J.M.J. Vanderschuren European Journal of Pharmacology, 2008, 585, 441-452. Doi : 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.01.058 A B S T R A C T The isolation and identification, in 1964, of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psycho-active compound in cannabis, opened the door to a whole new field of medical research. The exploration of the therapeutic potential of THC and other natural and synthetic cannabinoid compounds was paralleled by the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, comprising cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, which offered exciting new insights into brain function. Besides its well-known involvement in specific [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics & Cannabis Therapeutics Martin A. Lee April 17, 2019 https://www.projectcbd.org/culture/psychedelics-cannabis-therapeutics High doses of THC are hallucinogenic, and microdosing LSD is a lot like CBD. These mighty molecules can relieve human suffering and they act through the endocannabinoid system. Although it may not be obvious during these Trump-rattled times, we’re in the midst of a psychedelic revival. There is more interest than ever before in experimenting with LSD, magic mushrooms, ayahuasca, ketamine, and other psychedelic drugs. This renaissance is happening without all the fanfare of the day-glo Sixties, when lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) escaped from the laboratory and assumed the lead role in an improbable [...]
Lire la suitePrenatal THC exposure produces a hyperdopaminergic phenotype rescued by pregnenolone Roberto Frau, Vivien Miczán, Francesco Traccis, Sonia Aroni, Csaba I. Pongor, Pierluigi Saba, Valeria Serra, Claudia Sagheddu, Silvia Fanni, Mauro Congiu, Paola Devoto, Joseph F. Cheer, István Katona and Miriam Melis Nature Neuroscience, December 2019, VOL 22, 1975–1985 www.nature.com/natureneuroscience1975 Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved Doi : 10.1038/s41593-019-0512-2 The increased legal availability of cannabis has led to a common misconception that it is a safe natural remedy for, among others, pregnancy-related ailments such as morning sickness. Emerging clinical evidence, however, indicates that prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) predisposes offspring to various neuropsychiatric [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis Use in Adolescence : A Review of Neuroimaging Findings Yann Chye, Erynn Christensen & Murat Yücel Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 2019 Doi : 10.1080/15504263.2019.1636171 ABSTRACT Objective : Shifting policies and widespread acceptance of cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes have fueled worries of increased cannabis initiation and use in adolescents. In particular, the adolescent period is thought to be associated with an increased susceptibility to the potential harms of repeated cannabis use, due to being a critical period for neuromaturational events in the brain. This review investigates the neuroimaging evidence of brain harms attributable to adolescent cannabis use. Methods : PubMed and Scopus searches were [...]
Lire la suiteEndocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity and substance use disorders E. Fernandez-Espejo, L. Nunez-Dominguez Neurologia, 2019 Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved. doi : 10.1016/j.nrl.2018.12.004 Abstract Drugs impact brain reward circuits, causing dependence and addiction, in a condition currently described as substance use disorders. Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in these circuits are crucial in the development of addictive behaviour, and endocannabinoids, particularly anandamide and 2-arachidonyl-glycerol, participate in normal neuroplasticity. Substance use disorders are known to be associated with disruption of endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity, among other phenomena. Endocannabinoids mediate neuroplasticity in the short and the long term. In the short term, [...]
Lire la suiteNeuroanatomical alterations in people with high and low cannabis dependence Valentina Lorenzetti, Yann Chye, Chao Suo, Mark Walterfang, Dan I Lubman, Michael Takagi, Sarah Whittle, Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, Janna Cousijn, Christos Pantelis, Marc Seal, Alex Fornito, Murat Yücel and Nadia Solowij Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2019, 1–8 https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419859077 Abstract Objectives : We aimed to investigate whether severity of cannabis dependence is associated with the neuroanatomy of key brain regions of the stress and reward brain circuits. Methods : To examine dependence-specific regional brain alterations, we compared the volumes of regions relevant to reward and stress, between high-dependence cannabis users (CD+, n = 25), low [...]
Lire la suiteDoes regular cannabis use affect neuroanatomy ? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of structural neuroimaging studies Valentina Lorenzetti, Yann Chye, Pedro Silva, Nadia Solowij, Carl A. Roberts European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 2019 Doi : 10.1007/s00406-019-00979-1 Abstract Regular cannabis use is associated with adverse cognitive and mental health outcomes that have been ascribed to aberrant neuroanatomy in brain regions densely innervated with cannabinoid receptors. Neuroanatomical differences between cannabis users and controls have been assessed in multiple structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies. However, there is heterogeneity in the results leading to cautious interpretation of the data so far. We examined the sMRI [...]
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