New Antidepressant Drug Increases 'Brain's Own Cannabis' [article]

[hypnagogue]

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.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051213172852.htm

 

[zoobyshoe]

"Endocannabinoids are chemicals released by the brain under certain conditions..."

I had no idea.

 

[Q_Goest]

. . . providing anti-depressant effects.

I've read similar statements about cannabinoids and even specifically about marijuana in a number of scientific journals, including the Journal of Nature. This particular affect of pot seems to come up quite frequently.
Another article about cannabinoids I saw recently regards UB-210. http://www.caymanchem.com/app/template/Product.vm/catalog/90082/a/z"

A synthetic chemical similar to the active ingredient in marijuana makes new cells grow in rat brains. What is more, in rats this cell growth appears to be linked with reducing anxiety and depression. The results suggest that marijuana, or its derivatives, could actually be good for the brain.

. . . Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, and colleagues decided to see what effects a synthetic cannabinoid called HU210 had on rats' brains.

They found that giving rats high doses of HU210 twice a day for 10 days increased the rate of nerve cell formation, or neurogenesis, in the hippocampus by about 40%.

. . . When the rats who had received the cannabinoid were placed under stress, they showed fewer signs of anxiety and depression than rats who had not had the treatment.

Ref: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8155"
But other research found no similar neuron growth for the active ingredient in pot:

In another study, Barry Jacobs, a neuroscientist at Princeton University, gave mice the natural cannabinoid found in marijuana, THC (D9-tetrahydrocannabinol)). But he says he detected no neurogenesis, no matter what dose he gave or the length of time he gave it for.

Personally, I'd be a lot happier with a doob from time to time.