Supraspinal Modulation of Pain by Cannabinoids: the Role of GABA and Glutamate

Overview

Journal Br J Pharmacol

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2007 Sep 11

PMID 17828292

Citations 28

Authors

K Rea

M Roche

D P Finn

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recent physiological, pharmacological and anatomical studies provide evidence that one of the main roles of the endocannabinoid system in the brain is the regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate release. This article aims to review this evidence in the context of its implications for pain. We first provide a brief overview of supraspinal regulation of nociception, followed by a review of the evidence that the brain's endocannabinoid system modulates nociception. We look in detail at regulation of supraspinal GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons by the endocannabinoid system and by exogenously administered cannabinoids. Finally, we review the evidence that cannabinoid-mediated modulation of pain involves modulation of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in key brain regions.

Citing Articles

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Endocannabinoid System Receptors at the Hip and Stifle Joints of Middle-Aged Dogs: A Novel Target for the Therapeutic Use of Extract in Canine Arthropathies.

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The role of cannabinoids in pain modulation in companion animals.

Miranda-Cortes A, Mota-Rojas D, Crosignani-Outeda N, Casas-Alvarado A, Martinez-Burnes J, Olmos-Hernandez A Front Vet Sci. 2023; 9:1050884.

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Sex Differences in a Rat Model of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain and Associated Levels of Endogenous Cannabinoid Ligands.

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