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CANADA: New antidepressant drug increases 'brain's own cannabis'

EurekAlert.org

Thursday 15 Dec 2005

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New antidepressant drug increases 'brain's own cannabis'

Researchers have discovered a new drug that raises the level of
endocannabinoids--the 'brain's own cannabis'--providing anti-depressant
effects. The new research published in this week's Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests the new drug, called
URB597, could represent a safer alternative to cannabis for the
treatment of pain and depression, and open the door to new and improved
treatments for clinical depression--a condition that affects around 20%
of Canadians.

In preclinical laboratory tests researchers found that URB597 increased
the production of endocannabinoids by blocking their degradation,
resulting in measurable antidepressant effects. "This is the first time
it has been shown that a drug that increases endocannabinoids in the
brain can improve your mood," says the lead investigator Dr. Gabriella
Gobbi, an MUHC and Université de Montréal researcher.

Endocannabinoids are chemicals released by the brain under certain
conditions, like exercise; they stimulate specific brain receptors that
can trigger feelings of well-being. The researchers, which included
scientists from the University of California at Irvine, were able to
measure serotonin and noradrenaline activity as a result of the
increased endocannabinoids, and also conducted standard experiments to
gauge the 'mood' of their subjects and confirm their findings.

"The results were similar to the effect we might expect from the use of
commonly prescribed antidepressants, which are effective on only around
30% of the population," explains Dr. Gobbi. "Our discovery strengthens
the case for URB597 as a safer, non-addictive, non-psychotropic
alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression and
provides hope for the development of an alternate line of
antidepressants, with a wider range of effectiveness."

Cannabis has been known for its anti-depressant and pain-relief effects
for many years, but the addictive nature and general health concerns of
cannabis use make this drug far from ideal as a medical treatment. The
active ingredient in cannabis--THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)--stimulates
cannabinoid receptors.

Funding for this study was provided by the Fonds de la Recherche en
Santé du Québec (FRSQ), the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation
(CPRF), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and an MUHC fellowship.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/mu-nad121305.php

 

 

 

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