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Machinery Of The 'Marijuana Munchies'
Science Daily ^ | December 26, 2005

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."


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: marijuana; medicalmarijuana; potheads; wodlist
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To: LibertarianInExile
"but I did want to add a 'well done' BUMP!"

Me, too! I think Soros owes him a raise. Or at least a bonus.

201 posted on 01/01/2006 9:14:37 AM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: robertpaulsen; Know your rights

"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.


202 posted on 01/02/2006 4:09:15 AM PST by LibertarianInExile (Freedom isn't free--no, there's a hefty f'in fee--and if ya don't throw in your buck-o-5, who will?)
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To: robertpaulsen
Seems like a minor consequence compared the consequence of death when an immune-suppressed chemo patient smokes contaminated, home-grown marijuana.

Agreed ... smoked marijuana is counterindicated for such patients, as many medicines have counterindications. What's your point?

203 posted on 01/02/2006 2:46:07 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: robertpaulsen
If anything, it appears to be considerably more difficult to grow high-potency marijuana than to distill alcohol."

As evidenced by ... what?

My (admittedly incomplete) knowledge of the requirements in each case.

204 posted on 01/02/2006 2:47:14 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: robertpaulsen
whose current party line is that marijuana has no medicinal value

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).

205 posted on 01/02/2006 2:50:06 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: robertpaulsen; Clint N. Suhks
he's taught them they don't have to obey the laws they disagree with.

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?

206 posted on 01/02/2006 2:51:55 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: robertpaulsen; LibertarianInExile
I think Soros owes him a raise.

Directing moronic Dane-isms at me, without even the minimal backbone to ping me. Typical bobbypaulsen.

207 posted on 01/02/2006 2:55:16 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: Know your rights
"smoked marijuana is counterindicated for such patients"

I see no such disclaimer on your posts.

208 posted on 01/02/2006 2:57:08 PM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: robertpaulsen
I'm not dispensing medical advice.
209 posted on 01/02/2006 3:04:37 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: Know your rights
As you know, no major medical organization supports smoked marijuana as medicine. None.

And that coincides with the statements in the Controlled Substances Act. Which means I'm right.

210 posted on 01/02/2006 3:09:18 PM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: Know your rights
"I'm not dispensing medical advice."

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.

211 posted on 01/02/2006 3:13:24 PM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: NoCalTrueHeart

Ping


212 posted on 01/02/2006 7:03:47 PM PST by pitbully (Let Freedom Ring ! Loud and Proud !)
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To: robertpaulsen
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).

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).

213 posted on 01/10/2006 4:22:22 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: robertpaulsen
Every time you advocate smoked marijuana for medical use, you're dispensing medical advice.

Utter rot. Saying marijuana should be prescribable is no more "dispensing medical advice" than saying oxycontin should be prescribable is dispensing medical advice.

214 posted on 01/10/2006 4:24:00 PM PST by Know your rights (The modern enlightened liberal doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't really believe it.)
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To: sandbar

It is classified as such.


215 posted on 01/10/2006 6:46:54 PM PST by Nasty McPhilthy (Those who beat their swords into plow shears….will plow for those who don’t.)
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To: Clint N. Suhks

Just can't wait for the Liberaltarians to chime in with justifications for pot use.



Ad they would be wrong.......why?


216 posted on 01/13/2006 4:37:54 AM PST by Uriah
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To: rhombus

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.


217 posted on 01/14/2006 5:07:37 AM PST by willyd (No nation has ever taxed its citizens into prosperity)
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To: dblack

Good Stuff


218 posted on 03/04/2006 10:28:34 AM PST by dware (3 prohibited topics in mixed company: politics, religion and operating systems...)
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