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Chapter 1 - How Cannabis Works in the Brain

from Part I - Pharmacology of Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2023

By
Michelle Murphy Green  and
Ken Mackie
Edited by
Deepak Cyril D'Souza ,
David Castle  and
Sir Robin Murray
Deepak Cyril D'Souza
Affiliation:
Staff Psychiatrist, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
David Castle
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia
Sir Robin Murray
Affiliation:
Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychosis Service at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust; Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry
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Summary

Cannabis produces its characteristic intoxicating effect through its actions with specific receptors in the brain. This chapter will explore what we know how about cannabis produces these effects. Since cannabis produces its effects by interacting with the endocannabinoid system, we will start with a brief consideration of the endocannabinoid system relevant to cannabis’ actions. This will be followed by a discussion of the primary psychoactive components of cannabis, their routes of administration, and pharmacokinetics. The next section will focus on how tetrahydrocannabinol interacts with CB1 cannabinoid receptors and how these interactions differ from endocannabinoid interactions with CB1 receptors. Finally, these results will be synthesized in a potential explanation on how cannabis works in the brain.

Keywords

cannabiscannabinoidsendocannabinoid systemcentral nervous systemretrograde signallingsynaptic plasticitypharmacokinetics
Type
Chapter
Information
Marijuana and Madness , pp. 1 - 11
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • How Cannabis Works in the Brain
  • Edited by Deepak Cyril D'Souza, Staff Psychiatrist, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, David Castle, University of Tasmania, Australia, Sir Robin Murray, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychosis Service at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust; Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry
  • Book: Marijuana and Madness
  • Online publication: 12 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108943246.002
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • How Cannabis Works in the Brain
  • Edited by Deepak Cyril D'Souza, Staff Psychiatrist, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, David Castle, University of Tasmania, Australia, Sir Robin Murray, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychosis Service at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust; Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry
  • Book: Marijuana and Madness
  • Online publication: 12 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108943246.002
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • How Cannabis Works in the Brain
  • Edited by Deepak Cyril D'Souza, Staff Psychiatrist, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, David Castle, University of Tasmania, Australia, Sir Robin Murray, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychosis Service at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust; Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry
  • Book: Marijuana and Madness
  • Online publication: 12 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108943246.002
Available formats
×