Biomedical scientists at the University of Dundee have embarked on a study to understand how cannabinoids - the active principles of cannabis - affect the brain.
The study is a collaboration with scientists from the University of Aberdeen and has been granted £241,000 by the Medical Research Council.
Led by Dr Andy Irving at the University of Dundee, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, the team will spend the next three years investigating the effects of cannabinoids at a fundamental level. In particular, they will study how cannabinoids affect the release of neurotransmitters - special chemical messengers that allow neurones to communicate.
Working in laboratories with the isolated compounds and state of the art techniques to measure tiny electrical and chemical events, the biomedics will strive to identify at a cellular level the mechanisms at work when cannabinoids have their effect.
Biomedical scientists have recently identified the endocannabinoid system consisting of specific receptors and endogenous molecules that act upon them. It is this system that is thought to modulate processes such as mood, movement, learning and memory and pain.
Two types of cannabinoid receptors have been identified so far - CB1 receptors mainly present on nerves, and CB2 receptors present on immune cells. The activation of CB1 receptors is thought to modulate the release of the key chemical messengers within the brain known as glutamate and GABA, which have a role in almost every brain activity. However the precise mechanisms by which cannabinoids affect these neurotransmitters remain to be established.
Dr Irving: "We already have evidence that cannabis can affect some key brain processes and is helpful to some patients in the control of multiple sclerosis and pain relief. This study is part of a body of work which we hope will lead to a better understanding of how cannabinoids affect the body, their unwanted side effects and their potential role in the treatment of disease."
In addition to Dr Irving, the team comprises Dr Mark Rae from University of Dundee and Dr Angela Coutts, Dr Guy Berwick from the University of Aberdeen./ends
Contact Dr Andy Irving 01382 632161