Behavioural pharmacology of cannabinoids

大麻是加拿大和许多其他国家使用最广泛的非法药物。随着决策者和公众努力解决大麻合法化和将大麻用于医疗目的的问题，关于使用大麻的不利后果的激烈辩论仍在继续。对于这场辩论来说，幸运的是，大麻科学在基础研究和公共卫生研究方面继续得到加强。我们现在知道，大麻和大麻类药物（大麻素）通过结合和激活特定的大脑受体来产生改变大脑的作用。另一个关键发现是发现了anandamide，“大脑自己的大麻”。这种小脂质分子存在于包括人类在内的许多物种的大脑中，并产生与原型大麻提取物THC相似的行为和生理效应。但是，尽管大麻素研究最近有所复苏，但在某些关键问题上仍然存在很大的不确定性。我的研究计划使用实验室大鼠的实验来解决一些持久的争议，目前在科学文献中对大麻，如：大麻的使用促进成瘾的其他药物？它会导致大脑功能的永久性变化吗？它会影响认知吗？它会引起焦虑和抑郁吗？我的研究也正在研究大麻与其他药物结合的行为和神经后果，并正在研究大脑的大麻素系统在正常行为，认知和神经过程中的作用，包括学习，记忆，喂养行为和神经发生（称为神经元的脑细胞的产生）。总之，从这一研究方案中获得的信息将有助于向医学和科学界、政府决策者以及更广泛的加拿大社区提供有关大麻和大麻素行为药理学的各种关键问题的信息。

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Canada and many other nations. Robust, often fiery, debate continues concerning the adverse consequences of cannabis use, as policy makers and the public grapple with issues of cannabis decriminalisation and the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Fortunately for this debate, the science of cannabis continues to strengthen both in terms of basic research and studies of public health. We now know that cannabis and cannabis-like drugs (cannabinoids) produce their mind-altering effects by binding to and activating specific brain receptors. Another key finding was the discovery of anandamide, the "brain's own cannabis". This small lipid molecule is found in the brains of many species, including humans, and produces behavioural and physiological effects that are similar to those of the prototypical cannabis extract THC. But despite a recent resurgence in cannabinoid research, there remains substantial uncertainty concerning certain key issues in. My research programme uses experiments with laboratory rats to address some of the enduring controversies present in the scientific literature on cannabis, such as: Does cannabis use promote addiction to other drugs? Does it lead to permanent changes in brain function? Does it influence cognition? And does it cause anxiety and depression? My research is also examining the behavioural and neural consequences of combining cannabis with other drugs, and is examining the role of the brain's cannabinoid system in normal behavioural, cognitive, and neural processes, including learning, memory, feeding behaviour, and neurogenesis (the creation of brain cells called neurons). Together, the information gained from this research programme will serve to inform medical and scientific communities, government policy makers, as well as the broader Canadian community about various key issues surrounding cannabis and the behavioural pharmacology of cannabinoids.