The role of cannabinoids in adult neurogenesis

How many decades before all neurologists worldwide support cannabis for stroke recovery?
But we have f*cking idiots in the US government that refuse to do anything useful like allow scientists to propose medical interventions.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.13186/abstract

Author Information

1. 1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
2. 2Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

^* Correspondence: Eric J. Downer, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. Phone number: 353-21-4205481; Email: edowner@ucc.ie. 

10.1111/bph.13186

• Abstract

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Abstract

The processes underpinning post-developmental neurogenesis in the mammalian brain continue to be defined. Such processes involve the proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs), neuronal migration, differentiation and integration into a network of functional synapses within the brain. Both intrinsic (cell signalling cascades) and extrinsic (neurotrophins, neurotransmitters, cytokines, hormones) signalling molecules are intimately associated with adult neurogenesis and largely dictate the proliferative activity and differentiation capacity of neural cells. Cannabinoids are a unique class of chemical compounds incorporating plant-derived cannabinoids (the active components of Cannabis sativa), the endogenous cannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoid ligands, and these compounds are becoming increasingly recognized for their roles in neural developmental processes. Indeed, cannabinoids have clear modulatory roles in adult neurogenesis, likely through activation of both CB₁ and CB₂ receptors. In recent years a large body of literature has deciphered the signalling networks involved in cannabinoid-mediated regulation of neurogenesis. This timely review summarises the evidence that the cannabinoid system is intricately associated with neuronal differentiation and maturation of NPCs, and highlights intrinsic/extrinsic signalling mechanisms that are cannabinoid targets. Overall these findings identify the central role of the cannabinoid system in adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus and the lateral ventricles, and hence provide insight into the processes underlying post-developmental neurogenesis in the mammalian brain.