Differential role of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in memory and anxiety-like responses.
Biological Psychiatry. 2011-09-01; 70(5): 479-486
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.04.022
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1. Biol Psychiatry. 2011 Sep 1;70(5):479-86. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.04.022.
Differential role of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in memory and
anxiety-like responses.
Busquets-Garcia A(1), Puighermanal E, Pastor A, de la Torre R, Maldonado R,
Ozaita A.
Author information:
(1)Facultat de Ciències de la Salut i de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra,
Barcelona, Spain.
BACKGROUND: Cannabinoid agonists are potential therapeutic agents because of
their antinociceptive and anxiolytic-like effects, although an important caveat
to their use is the possible adverse responses related to memory impairment. An
alternative approach to circumvent this limitation consists of enhancing the
concentration of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol.
METHODS: Using low doses of the specific inhibitors of the endocannabinoid
metabolizing enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase, URB597, and monoacylglycerol
lipase, JZL184, we analyzed their acute and chronic effects on memory
consolidation, anxiolytic-like effects, and nociception in mice (n = 6-12 per
experimental group).
RESULTS: We show that anandamide is a central component in the modulation of
memory consolidation, whereas 2-arachidonoylglycerol is not involved in this
process. Interestingly, both URB597 and JZL184 induce anxiolytic-like effects
through different cannabinoid receptors. In addition, the results show that the
antinociceptive and anxiolytic-like responses of both inhibitors, as well as
their acute effects on memory consolidation, are maintained after chronic
treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: These results dissociate the role of anandamide and
2-arachidonoylglycerol in memory consolidation and anxiety and reveal the
interest of cannabinoid receptor 2 as a novel target for the treatment of
anxiety-related disorders.
Copyright © 2011 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.04.022
PMID: 21684528 [Indexed for MEDLINE]