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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Brain chemicals are similar to those in cannabis
Ananova Wednesday 11 Apr 2001 Scientists say cannabis users get the "munchies" because the brain contains natural versions of the drug's active chemicals. The brain's weight-regulation mechanism includes a natural version of the cannabinoids found in cannabis. The chemicals are so similar that the drug has the same effect, triggering nerve cells to signal a feeling of hunger. Leptin, a hormone produced by fatty tissue, has the opposite effect, dampening down the appetite. The scientists, led by Vincenzo Di Marzo from the Institute of Biological Chemicals in Naples, Italy, showed that in rats leptin reduces the levels of certain natural cannabinoids. Leptin is considered a key signal through which a part of the brain called the hypothalamus senses the nutritional state of the body. A decrease in body fat and other energy reserves, which occurs after fasting or crash-dieting, reduces the level of leptin, so food intake is stimulated. Higher levels of body fat increase the level of leptin, leading to a reduction in food intake in order to maintain weight within a narrow range. The new study, reported in the journal Nature, demonstrates the importance of the natural cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids.
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