Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Regulation of brain molecule could help marijuana addicts

Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Dec, 2014 12:51 PM
    A natural molecule that activates cannabinoid receptors in the brain could relieve mood and anxiety disorders and enable some people to quit using marijuana, a promising research by an Indian-origin scientist says.
     
    Cannabinoid receptors are normally activated by compounds in the brain called endocannabinoids, the most abundant of which is 2-AG.
     
    They are also "turned on" by an active ingredient of marijuana.
     
    For the study, principal investigator Sachin Patel and his colleagues from the Vanderbilt University in the US developed a genetically-modified mouse with impaired ability to produce 2-AG in the brain.
     
    The mice exhibited anxiety-like behaviour and female mice also displayed behaviour suggestive of depression.
     
    When an enzyme that normally breaks down 2-AG was blocked, and the supply of the endocannabinoid was restored to normal levels, these behaviour patterns were reversed.
     
    "If further research confirms that some people who are anxious and depressed have low levels of 2-AG, this method of normalising 2-AG deficiency could represent a viable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders," Patel, a professor of psychiatry, molecular physiology and biophysics, said.
     
    Relief from tension and anxiety is the most common reason cited for chronic marijuana use.
     
    "Thus, restoring depleted levels of 2-AG also could be a way to help people using marijuana," Patel added.
     
    The paper appeared online in the journal Cell Reports.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Now, ultrasound can penetrate bones, metals

    Now, ultrasound can penetrate bones, metals
    Materials like bones and metals, called aberrating layers, have physical characteristics that block or distort ultrasound's acoustic waves. ...

    Now, ultrasound can penetrate bones, metals

    South Asian Boys More Likely To Be Overweight

    South Asian Boys More Likely To Be Overweight
    South Asian boys are three times as likely to be overweight compared to their peers, says a Canada-based study led by an Indian-origin researcher.

    South Asian Boys More Likely To Be Overweight

    Women bosses more prone to depression

    Women bosses more prone to depression
    Job authority increases symptoms of depression among women but decreases them among men, a study from University of Texas at Austin finds....

    Women bosses more prone to depression

    How stem cells can speed up cardiac repair

    How stem cells can speed up cardiac repair
    Delivering stem cells directly into damaged heart muscle after a heart attack may help repair and regenerate injured tissue, according to a study.....

    How stem cells can speed up cardiac repair

    Fibre-rich Diet Helps You Lose Weight

    Fibre-rich Diet Helps You Lose Weight
    Certain fibres contained in prepared foods such as cereals, cereal bars, baking mixes, and drinks may cause a shift towards beneficial bacteria in the gut and assist in weight loss when made part of a long-term, daily diet, says a new research.

    Fibre-rich Diet Helps You Lose Weight

    Low Vitamin D levels may lead to early death

    Low Vitamin D levels may lead to early death
    Vitamin D deficiency is not just bad for your bone health, it can also result in various other diseases leading to an early death, research shows.

    Low Vitamin D levels may lead to early death