Synthetic marijuana for use as an anti depressant? This one appears to get rid of the "high" associated with marijuana according to the article...BD
American and Italian researchers have found that boosting the amounts of a marijuana-like brain transmitter called anandamide produces antidepressant effects in test rats. Led by Daniele Piomelli, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in Neurosciences and director of the Center for Drug Discovery at the University of California, Irvine, the researchers used a drug they created, called URB597, which blocks anandamide degradation in the brain, thereby increasing the levels of this chemical. "These findings raise the hope that the mood-elevating properties of marijuana can be harnessed to treat depression," Piomelli said. "Marijuana itself has shown no clinical use for depression. However, specific drugs that amplify the actions of natural marijuana-like transmitters in the brain are showing great promise.
Blocking FAAH activity boosts the effects of anandamide without producing the "high" seen with marijuana.
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