Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1 The cannabinoid system: from the point of view of a chemist
- 2 How cannabis works in the brain
- 3 Acute and subacute psychomimetic effects of cannabis in humans
- 4 The association between cannabis use and depression: a review of the evidence
- 5 Cannabis and psychosis proneness
- 6 Is there a specific ‘cannabis psychosis’?
- 7 Cannabis as a potential causal factor in schizophrenia
- 8 Cannabis abuse and the course of schizophrenia
- 9 The endogenous cannabinoid system in schizophrenia
- 10 Cannabinoid ‘model’ psychosis, dopamine–cannabinoid interactions and implications for schizophrenia
- 11 Motives that maintain cannabis use among individuals with psychotic disorders
- 12 Addressing cannabis abuse in people with psychosis
- 13 Residual cognitive effects of long-term cannabis use
- Index
- References
9 - The endogenous cannabinoid system in schizophrenia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 December 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1 The cannabinoid system: from the point of view of a chemist
- 2 How cannabis works in the brain
- 3 Acute and subacute psychomimetic effects of cannabis in humans
- 4 The association between cannabis use and depression: a review of the evidence
- 5 Cannabis and psychosis proneness
- 6 Is there a specific ‘cannabis psychosis’?
- 7 Cannabis as a potential causal factor in schizophrenia
- 8 Cannabis abuse and the course of schizophrenia
- 9 The endogenous cannabinoid system in schizophrenia
- 10 Cannabinoid ‘model’ psychosis, dopamine–cannabinoid interactions and implications for schizophrenia
- 11 Motives that maintain cannabis use among individuals with psychotic disorders
- 12 Addressing cannabis abuse in people with psychosis
- 13 Residual cognitive effects of long-term cannabis use
- Index
- References
Summary
The human endogenous cannabinoid system is an appealing target in the investigation of schizophrenia. This is both because of clinical studies supporting the association between cannabis use and schizophrenia as well as the capacity of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) to induce psychotic symptoms in non-psychotic individuals (see Chapters 3–5). Only since the recent elucidation of the endogenous cannabinoid system have direct investigations into its potential role in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders become possible. The endocannabinoid system contains the cannabinoid CB1, CB1A and CB2 receptors; the endogenous cannabinoids (most importantly, anandamide, 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) and palmitoylethanolamide), their respective synthetic and degradative enzymes and a transport process. This chapter provides an overview of the human endogenous cannabinoid system, focusing specifically on those aspects relevant to schizophrenia (see also Chapters 1 and 2 for a broader overview), and then reviews studies concerning this system in schizophrenia.
The human endogenous cannabinoid system
The Cannabinoid CB1 receptor in the brain
The first component of the human endogenous cannabinoid system to be identified was the CB1 receptor (Herkenham et al., 1990). The gene for this receptor is located on region q14–q15 of chromosome 6 (Hoehe et al., 1991) and encodes for a 472-amino-acid protein (Matsuda et al., 1990). This receptor has seven trans-membrane-spanning domains and interacts with guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) as part of its signal transduction mechanism, placing it within the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Marijuana and MadnessPsychiatry and Neurobiology, pp. 127 - 141Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004
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