Posted on 12/27/2005 7:26:46 AM PST by billorites
Marijuana--or more specifically its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol--has a well-documented tendency to stimulate hunger. And while scientists have traced this property to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, they have had little understanding of the neural circuitry underlying this effect.
Understanding this circuitry has important practical implications because blocking the cannabinoid receptor, CB1, offers a promising approach to treating obesity. One such compound, rimonabant (trade name AcompliaTM) is already undergoing clinical testing.
In an article in the December 22, 2005, issue of Neuron, Young-Hwan Jo and colleagues report how the circuitry of CB1 is integrated with signaling by the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin. The CB1 receptor is normally triggered by natural regulatory molecules, called endocannabinoids.
In their studies, the researchers concentrated on the lateral hypothalamus (LH) of the brain, known to be a center of control of food intake. Their studies involved detailed electrophysiological measurements of the effects of specific neurons that they had identified in previous studies as being important in endocannabinoid signaling.
Their studies revealed that activation of CB1 receptors, as by endocannabinoid molecules, induced these neurons to be rendered more excitable by a mechanism called "depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition" (DSI).
What's more, they found that leptin inhibits DSI. However, they found that leptin did not interfere with the CB1 receptors themselves. Rather, leptin "short-circuits" the endocannabinoid effects by inhibiting pore-like channels in the neurons that regulate the flow of calcium into the neurons. Such calcium is necessary for the synthesis of endocannabinoids.
In further studies of mice genetically altered to be leptin deficient, the researchers found the DSI to be more prolonged than in normal mice. Thus, they said, the findings "implicate this mechanism for leptin receptor/endocannabinoid signaling in contributing to the maintenance of weight balance...." The researchers also included that "upregulation of endocannabinoid signaling in the LH may explain, at least in part, the increased body weight consistent with a prior report of elevated endocannabinoids" in such leptin-deficient mice.
The researchers concluded that their findings "are consistent with the hypothesis that the integration of endocannabinoid and leptin signaling regulates the excitability of neurons on appetite-related circuits."
They also wrote that "the cellular mechanisms of recently developed antiobesity drugs, such as rimonabant, may include decreased endocannabinoid signaling and hence decreased excitability of LH circuits related to appetite, even in the context of leptin insufficiency or resistance."
Me, too! I think Soros owes him a raise. Or at least a bonus.
"I think Soros owes him a raise. Or at least a bonus."
LOL. I'm sure he'll let you know when he gets a check from Soros. It'll probably be about the time you get yours from the People’s Temple.
Agreed ... smoked marijuana is counterindicated for such patients, as many medicines have counterindications. What's your point?
As evidenced by ... what?
My (admittedly incomplete) knowledge of the requirements in each case.
Which coincides with the conclusion reached by the medical community.
Wrong; the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine has pointed out the medical benefits of marijuana (while also noting the harms of smoking and opining that smoked marijuana has "no future" as a medicine ... which even if true is irrelevant to people who are sick today).
More specifically, that they ought not hand over Jews to be gassed even if the government under which they live tells them to. Have you taught your kids the opposite?
Directing moronic Dane-isms at me, without even the minimal backbone to ping me. Typical bobbypaulsen.
I see no such disclaimer on your posts.
And that coincides with the statements in the Controlled Substances Act. Which means I'm right.
The hell you're not. Every time you advocate smoked marijuana for medical use, you're dispensing medical advice. In some cases, deadly medical advice.
Ping
no major medical organization supports smoked marijuana as medicine.
The IOM supports its availablity for terminal patients (but also wants to require them to participate in research before they get it, which to me is ghoulish blackmail).
Utter rot. Saying marijuana should be prescribable is no more "dispensing medical advice" than saying oxycontin should be prescribable is dispensing medical advice.
It is classified as such.
Just can't wait for the Liberaltarians to chime in with justifications for pot use.
Ad they would be wrong.......why?
It heats the plant to a certain temperature that is hot enough to vaporize the THC which has a lower conversion temperature than the rest of the plant. The plant doesn't actually burn though.
Good Stuff
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