Nonopioid Placebo Analgesia is Mediated by CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors

Overview

Journal Nat Med

Specialties General Medicine
Molecular Biology

Date 2011 Oct 4

PMID 21963514

Citations 90

Authors

Fabrizio Benedetti

Martina Amanzio

Rosalba Rosato

Catherine Blanchard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Placebo analgesia is mediated by both opioid and nonopioid mechanisms, but so far nothing is known about the nonopioid component. Here we show that the specific CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist 5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichloro-phenyl)-4-methyl-N-(piperidin-1-yl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (rimonabant or SR141716) blocks nonopioid placebo analgesic responses but has no effect on opioid placebo responses. These findings suggest that the endocannabinoid system has a pivotal role in placebo analgesia in some circumstances when the opioid system is not involved.

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