New Antidepressant Drug Increases 'brain's Own Cannabis'

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New Antidepressant Drug Increases 'brain's Own Cannabis'

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=34944

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. la 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.