Behavioural pharmacology of cannabinoids

大麻是加拿大和其他许多国家使用最广泛的非法药物。随着政策制定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，关于大麻使用的不良后果的激烈辩论仍在继续。幸运的是，在这场辩论中，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精神的效果。另一个关键发现是阿南达胺的发现，这是“大脑自己的大麻”。这种小的脂类分子存在于包括人类在内的许多物种的大脑中，其产生的行为和生理效应与典型的大麻提取物THC相似。但是，尽管最近大麻素研究有所回升，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进行实验，以解决有关大麻的科学文献中存在的一些持久的争议，例如：使用大麻是否会促进对其他药物的上瘾？它会导致大脑功能的永久性变化吗？它会影响认知吗？它会导致焦虑和抑郁吗？我的研究还在研究大麻与其他药物相结合对行为和神经的影响，并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、摄食行为和神经发生(脑细胞的产生称为神经元)。总而言之，从这项研究方案中获得的信息将有助于向医学界和科学界、政府政策制定者以及更广泛的加拿大社区通报有关大麻和大麻素行为药理的各种关键问题。

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.