Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 111, Issue 46, Pages E5007-E5015Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1413210111
Keywords
cannabinoid; CB2 receptor; JWH133; dopamine; cocaine
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Funding
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
- Barrow Neuroscience Foundation
- Barrow Neurological Institute-Bristol-Myers Squibb
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Cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB(2)Rs) have been recently reported to modulate brain dopamine (DA)-related behaviors; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying these actions are unclear. Here we report that CB(2)Rs are expressed in ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons and functionally modulate DA neuronal excitability and DA-related behavior. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemical assays detected CB2 mRNA and CB2R immunostaining in VTA DA neurons. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that activation of CB(2)Rs by JWH133 or other CB2R agonists inhibited VTA DA neuronal firing in vivo and ex vivo, whereas microinjections of JWH133 into the VTA inhibited cocaine self-administration. Importantly, all of the above findings observed in WT or CB1-/- mice are blocked by CB2R antagonist and absent in CB2-/- mice. These data suggest that CB2R-mediated reduction of VTA DA neuronal activity may underlie JWH133's modulation of DA-regulated behaviors.
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