cannabisnews.com: Study Shows How Marijuana Affects Pain Study Shows How Marijuana Affects Pain Posted by FoM on October 12, 1999 at 10:21:55 PT Reuters Source: Fox News WASHINGTON — Pain triggers the release of the brain's natural version of marijuana, researchers said on Monday.Their finding helps explain why marijuana can act to relieve pain and adds to a whole series of studies that show the chemical, one of a class known as anandamides, has a range of important roles in the brain. Michael Walker, a psychology professor at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and colleagues tested pain and anandamide in rats.They found the brain produced anandamide when they stimulated an area — the periaqueductal gray — known for its role in modulating pain. It also released anandamide in response to a painful injection of the chemical formalin.The secretion of anandamide eased the pain, they reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The researchers anaesthetized their rats, but were able to follow the pain signals and the passage of anandamide in the brain using a new type of mass spectrometry, which is able to detect minute amounts of a substance.Walker said the knowledge might be used to devise new painkillers or analgesics. Perhaps a drug that made more anandamide available would be useful, he said."There are some types of pain that do not respond well to current treatments," he said in a statement. "The fact that you have different modulatory systems that are effective for different types of pain may offer hope."Anandamides are neurotransmitters — message-carrying chemicals — and are known to be chemically very similar to cannabinoids in cannabis or marijuana.Cannabis has been used for centuries to help relieve pain.Other research has found a range of uses for anandamides.In May, researchers at the University of California at Irvine found that people with schizophrenia have twice the normal levels anandamide in their brains. Anandamides have also been found to help regulate body movement and coordination, and may also be important in helping sperm get to and fertilize an egg. 9.54 a.m. ET (1354 GMT)October 12, 1999 comments newsdigital.com© 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc Proceedings From The National Academy Of Sciences:http://www.pnas.org/Abstract 1 of 1 Vol. 96, Issue 21, 12198-12203, October 12, 1999Psychology-BSPain modulation by release of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (analgesia / periaqueductal gray / microdialysis / gas chromatography / mass spectrometry) J. Michael Walker*, Susan M. Huang, Nicole M. Strangman, Kang Tsou, and M. Clara Sañudo-Peña Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 Communicated by Lorrin A. Riggs Brown University, Providence, RI. August 10, 1999 (received for review May 3, 1999) Synthetic cannabinoids produce behavioral analgesia and suppress pain neurotransmission, raising the possibility that endogenous cannabinoids serve naturally to modulate pain. Here, the development of a sensitive method for measuring cannabinoids by atmospheric pressure-chemical ionization mass spectrometry permitted measurement of the release of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) by in vivo microdialysis in the rat. Electrical stimulation of the dorsal and lateral PAG produced CB1 cannabinoid receptor-mediated analgesia accompanied by a marked increase in the release of anandamide in the PAG, suggesting that endogenous anandamide mediates the behavioral analgesia. Furthermore, pain triggered by subcutaneous injections of the chemical irritant formalin substantially increased the release of anandamide in the PAG. These findings indicate that the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide plays an important role in a cannabinergic pain-suppression system existing within the dorsal and lateral PAG. The existence of a cannabinergic pain-modulatory system may have relevance for the treatment of pain, particularly in instances where opiates are ineffective. Related Article:Marijuana-Like Substance in Brain Relieves Pain - 10/11/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3243.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by Zebra Borland on November 18, 1999 at 17:48:36 PT Please do me a favor Please make something that shows that marijuana can be good, and reaons for it to be legal. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Cavern on October 12, 1999 at 15:06:47 PT human body mechanics "Anandamides are neurotransmitters — message-carrying chemicals "That's why you can think of so clearly and so many different things when stoned - makes perfect sense, why music is better (e.g. uses more of the brain to interprete sounds etc) and why you are more creative. They need more studies like this, or they could just ask me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by RoMan on October 12, 1999 at 13:48:25 PT well........... its about time. Since 1977 I 've had Occulosympathetic-Neuralga/Palsy.At that time I was in UCI Medical Center.Its goo to see you guys getting on the page.R [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: