Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a widespread brain signaling system made of cannabinoid receptors, naturally made lipid messengers, and the enzymes that make and break those messengers. The two best-studied messengers are 2-AG and anandamide, and they are produced and degraded by different enzyme pathways. CB1 receptors are common in…
This review describes the endocannabinoid system (ECS) as a widespread network of natural cannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors (mainly CB1 and CB2), and the enzymes that make and break those chemicals. The ECS helps shape brain development and adjusts how neurons communicate. The authors note that THC is the main psychoactive part…
This is a short 1970 Nature paper by E. W. Gill, W. D. Paton and R. G. Pertwee that reports preliminary experiments on the chemistry and pharmacology of cannabis. The PubMed entry has no abstract, but its indexing shows the paper looked at drug effects and toxicity, and at topics…
In rats and mice that had brain lesions used to model Parkinson's disease, the plant compound Δ9-THCV reduced movement problems after a single dose and, with repeated dosing, reduced loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain region called the substantia nigra. Some effects seem linked to antioxidant actions and, in…
This perspective reviews studies about whether ketamine’s short-term dissociative effects (feeling detached or “spacey”) are needed for its fast antidepressant effects. The authors conclude that current evidence does not support the idea that dissociation is required for antidepressant benefit. Some studies found small links between dissociation and mood improvement, but…
In mouse hippocampal brain slices, the researchers found that Δ9‑tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9‑THC) strongly activates CB1 cannabinoid receptors on GABA‑releasing axon terminals and reduces GABA release. The effect depended on how Δ9‑THC was dissolved, required CB1 receptors, and did not come from changing GABA receptors or GABA uptake. The results point to…
This study in rodents and in neuronal cell cultures found that ketamine and its antidepressant metabolite (2R,6R)-HNK rapidly lower neuronally released glutamate in brain regions linked to depression. Using fast glutamate sensors (FAST), isolated synapses, and primary cortical neurons, the authors showed reduced depolarization-evoked glutamate release within 30 minutes after…
This study tested the cannabis-related compound THCV in lab and rat experiments. In lab tests on rat brain membranes and human cells, 100 nM THCV increased activation of the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor and changed how a 5-HT1A probe bound to the receptor. In rats treated with phencyclidine (a model for…
Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps control many behaviors. This paper reviews research showing that the fats in the outer layer of nerve cells — the cell membrane — can change how the proteins that make, store, release, and detect serotonin work. Those fat–protein interactions are not fixed. They…
This study tested Δ9‑tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (Δ9‑THCA‑A), a non‑psychotropic cannabis compound, in lab cells and in a mouse model of rheumatoid‑type arthritis. The compound acted at cannabinoid CB1 receptors in two ways (as an orthosteric agonist and as a positive allosteric modulator), appeared to act oppositely at CB2 receptors, activated…
