Exploiting the Multifaceted Effects of Cannabinoids on Mood to Boost Their Therapeutic Use Against Anxiety and Depression.

ABSTRACT: The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been recently recognized as a prominent promoter of the emotional homeostasis, mediating the effects of different environmental signals including rewarding and stressing stimuli. The ECS modulates the rewarding effects of environmental stimuli, influencing synaptic transmission in the dopaminergic projections to the limbic system, and mediates the neurophysiological and behavioral consequences of stress. Notably, the individual psychosocial context is another key element modulating the activity of the ECS. Finally, inflammation represents an additional factor that could alter the cannabinoid signaling in the CNS inducing a "sickness behavior," characterized by anxiety, anhedonia, and depressive symptoms. The complex influences of the ECS on both the env

SUBMITTER: Stampanoni Bassi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6256035 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature