Translational evidence for the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in stress-related psychiatric illnesses.

ABSTRACT: Accumulating evidence over the past decade has highlighted an important role of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in the regulation of stress and emotional behavior across divergent species, from rodents to humans. The general findings from this work indicate that the eCB system plays an important role in gating and buffering the stress response, dampening anxiety and regulating mood. Work in rodents has allowed researchers to determine the neural mechanisms mediating this relationship while work in human populations has demonstrated the possible importance of this system in stress-related psychiatric diseases, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety and major depression. These stress-protective effects of eCB signaling appear to be primarily mediated by their actions wi

SUBMITTER: Hill MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3817535 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature