Grant: Operating Grant

This project follows directly from our earlier research and investigates the possibility that naturally occurring cannabinoid compounds in the human brain of the kind found in marijuana can impair and enhance neuronal transmission. The potential medical benefits of the work lie in the fact that the medicine use of exogenous cannabinoids (or exCB, the compounds found in marijuana) is limited by side-effects. Since our brain already contains such exCB-like compounds, our research into their neuropharmacology (how they work in the brain) could point to potential therapeutic strategies for treating various brain disorders without the side-effects of cannabis. The compelling scientific aspect of the work centers on our earlier finding that marijuana cannabinoids do impair working memory through the agency of glial cells, considered as mere providers of support and nutrition for neurons, the crucial 'nerve' cells in brain function. We have already carried out pilot studies, which along with other indirect evidence, lead us to believe that varying levels of brain eCB can regulate astroglial cells (a type of glial cells) and thus neuronal transmission to impair or enhance working memory. We will employ a variety of cutting-edge technology to critically examine this hypothesis in rats and mice.