cannabisnews.com: Cannabinoid Receptor May Play Role Schizophrenia





Cannabinoid Receptor May Play Role Schizophrenia
Posted by FoM on July 15, 1999 at 13:50:14 PT
Source: Fox News
NEW YORK, Jul 15 (Reuters Health) — Cannabinoid receptors — specialized proteins in the brain that respond to the active ingredient in marijuana — may also play a role in the psychiatric disease schizophrenia, an international team of researchers report.
Characterized by persistent disturbances in the way a person thinks, sees, and hears, schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population. Currently, schizophrenia is treated with drugs that block the action of a brain chemical called dopamine. However, these drugs "are only partially effective in preventing (schizophrenia's) diverse manifestations,'' study authors F.M. Leweke, of Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany, and colleagues note. In examining the cerebrospinal fluid of 10 schizophrenia patients, Leweke and colleagues found elevated levels of two brain chemicals — anandamide and palmitylethanolamide. Both are members of a group of chemicals known as endogenous cannabinoids, which play a role in the brain's processing of the drugs marijuana and hashish. The fact that levels of these chemicals were significantly higher in the brains of schizophrenics suggests that they may play a role in the disease, the team concludes. The researchers note that larger studies are needed both to confirm their results, and to determine the exact role the endogenous cannabinoids play in schizophrenia. Such findings may "suggest novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of this disease,'' they write in the June issue of the journal NeuroReport.. http://www.neuroreport.com/SOURCE: NeuroReport 1999;10:1665-1669.1:13 p.m. ET (1714 GMT) July 15, 1999 comments newsdigital.com© 1999, News America Digital Publishing,Inc. d/b/a Fox News Online.© Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved Related Article:Marijuana-Like Chemical Found In Schizophrenics-5/19/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1388.shtml
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