Neurogenesis is a fancy way of saying 'increasing brain cells'. And I thought the phrase, Get Brain, was just about the sex.
The Scientist :: Cannabinoids boost neurogenesis?, Oct. 14, 2005 Cannabinoids promote neurogenesis in embryonic and adult rats, and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, according to a new report in the current issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The effects appear to contradict those seen from other studied drugs of abuse, the authors note.“Most drugs of abuse such as nicotine, heroine, and cocaine suppress neurogenesis in these cells, but the effects of cannabinoids weren't clear. We show that cannabinoids, in fact, promote neurogenesis,” study author Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, told The Scientist.
During the study, Zhang and his colleagues analyzed the effect of the synthetic cannabinoid HU210, an agonist of the cannabinoid receptor CB1, on neural progenitor cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. They found that HU210 increased cell proliferation in vitro, and did so in vivo after chronic treatment. Antidepressants produce a similar pattern of cell proliferation, inspiring the authors to examine the influence of HU210 on behavior, explained Ronald Duman of Yale University School of Medicine in an Email.
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Eisch added that this study also raises the question of how vasculature is involved in regulating adult neurogenesis and the correlated behavioral effects. “There is some evidence that cannabinoids can cause vessel relaxation, and thus increase blood-flow. Maybe the effect they are seeing (on neurogenesis) is secondary to an effect on the vasculature,” said Eisch. “The role of the vasculature is an issue for to everyone in neurogenesis research these days.”
(article courtesy of Pete Guither)
Tags: neuroscience
