| OBSERVATION'S |
Experiments in rats firmly establishes that Anandamide, a natural substance found in the brain that binds to the same receptors as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana is a NEUROTRANSMITTER involved in regulating movement in animals.
The researchers found that stimulating nerve cells in the dorsal striatum, a part of the brain involved in controlling movement, caused the cells to release ANANDAMIDE. Injecting this brain region with the dopamine-like drug QUINPRIOLE also caused increases in anandamide release. When anandamide activity was blocked, rats treated with quinpriole became hyperactive suggesting that anandamide functions to modulate the effects of dopamine
|