Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Consumers of marijuana typically feel a strong, compulsive desire to consume food. Although past research revealed that the CB1 cannabinoid receptor is a potent regulator of food intake, the functional presence of neuronal CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the brain has been controversial. The role of CB2 receptors in food and alcohol consumption and the behavioral effects of CB2 receptor ligands are not well characterized. This is because CB2 cannabinoid receptors were thought to be absent from the brain and expressed primarily in immune cells and in the periphery. We tested the effects of peripheral injections of CB2 antagonist AM 630, CB2 agonist PEA, and CB1 antagonist AM 251 on male C57BL/6, Balb/c, and DBA/2 mice at the beginning of the night cycle and after overnight 12-hour fasts. We also investigated the effects of the putative CB2 agonist, JWH015, and CB2 antagonist, SR144528, in mouse motor function tests and in the two-compartment black and white box. Under standard conditions, the CB2 antagonist AM 630 inhibited food consumption in C57BL/6 mice and DBA/2 mice, but failed to block food intake of Balb/c mice. The CB2 agonist PEA had no significant effect on food consumption in Balb/c mice, and reduced food intake in C57BL/6 and DBA mice. The CB1 antagonist AM 251 inhibited food ingestion in the three mouse strains at variable times. After 12-hour food deprivation, the CB2 antagonist AM 630 increased food consumption in C57Bl/6 mice, but failed to produce significant changes in food intake for Balb/c and DBA/2 mice. The CB2 agonist PEA also reduced food consumption in all three mice strains at variable times. In comparison to the CB2 ligands, CB1 antagonist AM 251 inhibited food ingestion in the mouse strains. A general pattern of depression in locomotor activity was induced by JWH 015 in both males and females in the three mouse strains tested as the dose was increased. The development and enhancement of alcohol preference was observed after chronic treatment with CB2 agonist JWH 015 in stressed mice, but not in controls. In the DBA/2 strain, the spontaneous locomotor activity and stereotype behavior was enhanced by acute administration of low doses of SR144528. There was a reduction in CNR2 gene expression in the ventral mid-brain region of mice that developed alcohol preference, but not in those that did not develop alcohol preference. These effects of CB2 cannabinoid receptor ligands in in vivo behavioral tests are provided as functional evidence that CB2-Rs in the brain play a role in food and alcohol consumption and in the modification of mouse behavior.
...
PMID:Behavioral effects of CB2 cannabinoid receptor activation and its influence on food and alcohol consumption. 1899 90

Here, we examined long-term synaptic plasticity in the avian auditory midbrain, a region involved in experience-dependent learning. We found that coactivation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) and type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) induces long-term depression (LTD) at the synapse between the central shell and the external portion of the inferior colliculus of the chicken. Although endocannabinoids are commonly thought of as presynaptic modulators, recent reports have suggested that they can also modulate the postsynaptic site. In the avian midbrain, we found that LTD is mediated by both presynaptic and postsynaptic changes. The presynaptic mechanism consists of a decrease in neurotransmitter release, whereas a depression of NMDAR-mediated current takes place on the postsynaptic side. Both the presynaptic and the postsynaptic effects depend on CB1R activation. The reduction of postsynaptic NMDAR currents represents a novel role of endocannabinoids in synaptic modulation.
...
PMID:Endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression in the avian midbrain expressed presynaptically and postsynaptically. 1933 8

Although long-term depression (LTD) is a well-studied form of synaptic plasticity, it is clear that multiple cellular mechanisms are involved in its induction. In the leech, LTD is observed in a polysynaptic connection between touch mechanosensory neurons (T cells) and the S interneuron following low frequency stimulation. LTD elicited by 450 s low frequency stimulation was blocked by N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonists. However, LTD elicited by 900 s low frequency stimulation was insensitive to NMDA receptor antagonists and was instead dependent on cannabinoid signaling. This LTD was blocked by both a cannabinoid receptor antagonist and by inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase, which is necessary for the synthesis of the cannabinoid transmitter 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG). Bath application of 2-AG or the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP55 940 also induced LTD at this synapse. These results indicate that two forms of LTD coexist at the leech T-to-S polysynaptic pathway: one that is NMDA receptor-dependent and another that is cannabinoid-dependent and that activation of either form of LTD is dependent on the level of activity in this circuit.
...
PMID:Two forms of long-term depression in a polysynaptic pathway in the leech CNS: one NMDA receptor-dependent and the other cannabinoid-dependent. 1965 62

The central endocannabinoid system is a neuroactive lipid signalling system in the brain which acts to control neurotransmitter release. The expression patterns of this system throughout limbic regions of the brain ideally situate it to exert regulatory control over emotional behaviour, mood and stress responsivity. A growing body of evidence unequivocally demonstrates that deficits in endocannabinoid signalling may result in depressive and anxiogenic behavioral responses, while pharmacological augmentation of endocannabinoid signalling can produce both antidepressive and anxiolytic behavioral responses. The aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge of the role of the endocannabinoid system in the etiology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Collectively, both clinical and preclinical data argue that cannabinoid receptor signalling may be a realistic target in the development of a novel class of agent for the pharmacotherapy of mood and anxiety disorders.
...
PMID:The endocannabinoid system and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. 1983 36

OBJECTIVE To examine the efficacy and safety of rimonabant, a selective cannabinoid receptor type-1 antagonist, in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin monotherapy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients (n = 368; A1C > or =7%) were randomized to 20 mg/day rimonabant or placebo in this 48-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. Change in baseline A1C to week 48 (primary outcome) and changes in body weight, waist circumference, and lipid levels (secondary outcomes) were assessed. RESULTS Rimonabant significantly reduced baseline A1C versus placebo (-0.89 vs. -0.24%; P < 0.0001), and significantly greater improvements were observed in cardiometabolic risk factors. More rimonabant patients achieved >10% reduction in mean total daily insulin dose versus placebo (P = 0.0012), and fewer required rescue medication (P < 0.0001). Hypoglycemia, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, and depression were more frequent with rimonabant. CONCLUSIONS Rimonabant improved glycemic control and cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin.
...
PMID:Effect of rimonabant on glycemic control in insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: the ARPEGGIO trial. 2000 90

Bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) in rodents produces behavioral and neurochemical changes associated clinically with depression and schizophrenia. Most notably, OBX induces hyperlocomotion in response to the stress of exposure to a novel environment. We examined the role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating this locomotor response in OBX and sham-operated rats. In our study, OBX-induced hyperactivity was restricted to the first 3 min of the open field test, demonstrating the presence of novelty (0-3 min) and habituation (3-30 min) phases of the open field locomotor response. Levels of the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide were decreased in the ventral striatum, a brain region deafferented by OBX, whereas cannabinoid receptor densities were unaltered. In sham-operated rats, 2-AG levels in the ventral striatum were negatively correlated with distance traveled during the novelty phase. Thus, low levels of 2-AG are reflected in a hyperactive open field response. This correlation was not observed in OBX rats. Conversely, 2-AG levels in endocannabinoid-compromised OBX rats correlated with distance traveled during the habituation phase. In OBX rats, pharmacological blockade of cannabinoid CB(1) receptors with either AM251 (1 mg kg(-1) i.p.) or rimonabant (1 mg kg(-1) i.p.) increased distance traveled during the habituation phase. Thus, blockade of endocannabinoid signaling impairs habituation of the hyperlocomotor response in OBX, but not sham-operated, rats. By contrast, in sham-operated rats, effects of CB(1) antagonism were restricted to the novelty phase. These findings suggest that dysregulation in the endocannabinoid system, and 2-AG in particular, is implicated in the hyperactive locomotor response induced by OBX. Our studies suggest that drugs that enhance 2-AG signaling, such as 2-AG degradation inhibitors, might be useful in human brain disorders modeled by OBX.
...
PMID:A role for 2-arachidonoylglycerol and endocannabinoid signaling in the locomotor response to novelty induced by olfactory bulbectomy. 2004 5

Both the endocannabinoid and noradrenergic systems have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Importantly, low levels of norepinephrine are seen in patients with depression, and antagonism of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) is able to induce depressive symptoms in rodents and humans. Whether the interaction between the two systems is important for the regulation of these behaviors is not known. In the present study, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were acutely or chronically administered the CB1R synthetic agonist WIN 55,212-2, and alpha2A and beta1 adrenergic receptors (AR) were quantified by Western blot. These AR have been shown to be altered in a number of psychiatric disorders and following antidepressant treatment. CB1R agonist treatment induced a differential decrease in alpha2A- and beta1-ARs in the nucleus accumbens (Acb). Moreover, to assess long-lasting changes induced by CB1R activation, some of the chronically treated rats were killed 7 days following the last injection. This revealed a persistent effect on alpha2A-AR levels. Furthermore, the localization of CB1R with respect to noradrenergic profiles was assessed in the Acb and in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Our results show a significant topographic distribution of CB1R and dopamine beta hydroxylase immunoreactivities (ir) in the Acb, with higher co-localization observed in the NTS. In the Acb, CB1R-ir was found in terminals forming either symmetric or asymmetric synapses. These results suggest that cannabinoids may modulate noradrenergic signaling in the Acb, directly by acting on noradrenergic neurons in the NTS or indirectly by modulating inhibitory and excitatory input in the Acb.
...
PMID:Cannabinoid modulation of limbic forebrain noradrenergic circuitry. 2007 24

Different GABAergic interneuron types have specific roles in hippocampal function, and anatomical as well as physiological features vary greatly between interneuron classes. Long-term plasticity of interneurons has mostly been studied in unidentified GABAergic cells and is known to be very heterogeneous. Here we tested whether cell type-specific plasticity properties in distinct GABAergic interneuron types might underlie this heterogeneity. We show that long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), two common forms of synaptic plasticity, are expressed in a highly cell type-specific manner at glutamatergic synapses onto hippocampal GABAergic neurons. Both LTP and LTD are generated in interneurons expressing parvalbumin (PV+), whereas interneurons with similar axon distributions but expressing cannabinoid receptor-1 show no lasting plasticity in response to the same protocol. In addition, LTP or LTD occurs in PV+ interneurons with different efferent target domains. Perisomatic-targeting PV+ basket and axo-axonic interneurons express LTP, whereas glutamatergic synapses onto PV+ bistratified cells display LTD. Both LTP and LTD are pathway specific, independent of NMDA receptors, and occur at synapses with calcium-permeable (CP) AMPA receptors. Plasticity in interneurons with CP-AMPA receptors strongly modulates disynaptic GABAergic transmission onto CA1 pyramidal cells. We propose that long-term plasticity adjusts the synaptic strength between pyramidal cells and interneurons in a cell type-specific manner and, in the defined CA1 interneurons, shifts the spatial pattern of inhibitory weight from pyramidal cell dendrites to the perisomatic region.
...
PMID:Cell type-specific long-term plasticity at glutamatergic synapses onto hippocampal interneurons expressing either parvalbumin or CB1 cannabinoid receptor. 2010 60

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) results from deficiency of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FXS is the most common heritable form of mental retardation, and is associated with the occurrence of seizures. Factors responsible for initiating FXS-related hyperexcitability are poorly understood. Many protein-synthesis-dependent functions of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (Gp1 mGluRs) are exaggerated in FXS. Gp1 mGluR activation can mobilize endocannabinoids (eCBs) in the hippocampus and thereby increase excitability, but whether FMRP affects eCBs is unknown. We studied Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice lacking FMRP to test the hypothesis that eCB function is altered in FXS. Whole-cell evoked IPSCs (eIPSCs) and field potentials were recorded in the CA1 region of acute hippocampal slices. Three eCB-mediated responses were examined: depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI), mGluR-initiated eCB-dependent inhibitory short-term depression (eCB-iSTD), and eCB-dependent inhibitory long-term depression (eCB-iLTD). Low concentrations of a Gp1 mGluR agonist produced larger eCB-mediated responses in Fmr1 KO mice than in wild-type (WT) mice, without affecting DSI. Western blots revealed that levels of mGluR1, mGluR5, or cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) were unchanged in Fmr1 KO animals, suggesting that the coupling between mGluR activation and eCB mobilization was enhanced by FMRP deletion. The increased susceptibility of Fmr1 KO slices to eCB-iLTD was physiologically relevant, since long-term potentiation of EPSP-spike (E-S) coupling induced by the mGluR agonist was markedly larger in Fmr1 KO mice than in WT animals. Alterations in eCB signaling could contribute to the cognitive dysfunction associated with FXS.
...
PMID:Enhanced endocannabinoid signaling elevates neuronal excitability in fragile X syndrome. 2041 Jan 24

Endocannabinoids are widely regarded as negative modulators of presynaptic release. Here, we present evidence that in visual cortex endocannabinoids are crucial for the maturation of GABAergic release. We found that between eye opening and puberty, release changes from an immature state with high release probability, short-term depression (STD), and high release variability during irregular patterned activity, to a mature state with reduced release probability, STD, and variability. This transition requires visual experience and stimulation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors as it is mimicked by administration of CB1 agonists, blocked by antagonists, and is absent in CB1R KO mice. In immature slices, activation of CB1 receptors induces long-term depression of inhibitory responses (iLTD) and a reduction in STD and response variability. Based on these findings, we propose that visually induced endocannabinoid-dependent iLTD mediates the developmental decrease in release probability, STD, and response variability, which are characteristic of maturation of cortical GABAergic inhibition.
...
PMID:The maturation of GABAergic transmission in visual cortex requires endocannabinoid-mediated LTD of inhibitory inputs during a critical period. 2043 1


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>