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毒品。随着决策者和公众努力解决大麻非刑事化和将大麻用于医疗目的的问题，关于使用大麻的不良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，大麻和类似大麻的药物（大麻素）通过结合和激活特定的大脑受体来产生改变思维的效果。另一个重要发现是发现了“大脑自己的大麻”——阿南达胺。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，它产生的行为和生理影响与大麻提取物四氢大麻酚的原型相似。但是，尽管最近大麻素研究复苏，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老鼠进行实验，以解决有关大麻的科学文献中存在的一些持久争议，例如：大麻的使用是否会促进对其他药物的成瘾？它会导致大脑功能的永久性改变吗？它会影响认知吗？它会导致焦虑和抑郁吗？我的研究也在研究大麻与其他药物结合的行为和神经后果，并研究大脑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、进食行为和神经发生（称为神经元的脑细胞的产生）。总之，从这项研究方案获得的信息将有助于向医学界和科学界、政府决策者以及更广泛的加拿大社会通报有关大麻和大麻素行为药理学的各种关键问题。

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.