Modulation of neurotransmitter release by cannabinoid receptors at individual cortical synapses

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Cannabis is a very widely used drug, which has many well-documented deleterious effects on mental and physical health. In recent years it has emerged that the active constitutent hijacks a natural form of signalling between neurons, which acts in the opposite direction to the normal flow of information in the brain: in response to activity in one neuron, a signal is sent back to synapses that normally release chemical messengers to that same neuron. The result of this is that the strength of communication is diminished. How this happens is poorly understood. We have developed the ability to examine the actions of both cannabis derivatives and naturally occurring chemicals in the brain on the behaviour of individual synapses at unprecedented resolution. We expect that the results obtained with this cutting-edge methodology will shed light both on the normal workings of the brain, and on disorders of brain excitability such as epilepsy, and ultimately reveal previously unknown targets for pharmacological intervention.