[420patriot]

The endocannabinoid system is dysregulated in multiple sclerosis and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

The ability of cannabinoids to modulate both inflammatory and degenerative neuronal damage prompted investigations on the potential benefits of such compounds in multiple sclerosis (MS) and in animal models of this disorder. Here we measured endocannabinoid levels, metabolism and binding, and physiological activities in 26 patients with MS (17 females, aged 19–43 years), 25 healthy controls and in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a preclinical model of MS. Our results show that MS and EAE are associated with significant alterations of the endocannabinoid system. We found that anandamide (AEA), but not 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), was increased in the CSF of relapsing MS patients. AEA concentrations were also higher in peripheral lymphocytes of these patients, an effect associated with increased synthesis and reduced degradation of this endocannabinoid. Increased synthesis, reduced degradation, and increased levels of AEA were also detected in the brains of EAE mice in the acute phase of the disease, possibly accounting for its anti-excitotoxic action in this disorder. Accordingly, neurophysiological recordings from single neurons confirmed that excitatory transmission in EAE slices is inhibited by CB1 receptor activation, while inhibitory transmission is not. Our study suggests that targeting the endocannabinoid system might be useful for the treatment of MS.


Key Words: animal models; arachidonic acid; autoimmune encephalitis; excitotoxicity; neuroprotective agents

Why are you posting abstract indexes and not the actual articles?

You quoted that the paper was "accepted" but not by whom....

Can you post the *articles* and not just the usless abstract?

Plus it would be nice to quote which indexing service you used i.e. PubMed etc.

[420patriot]

Kwicky, thanks for pointing this out. I edited the original post and here is a link to the study, http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/...tract/awm160v1

The link goes to an abstract site. You have to pay out some hefty $$ to read the actual ariticle. Most abstract (or indexing) sites are like this... which makes it hard to do research when you don't have a research budget. This one costs $25 to read it....

You have my thanks for trying. :)

[Frankie]

A little trick I learned to save $ on these subsciptions:

See who the principal author(s) are and the university or research institution where it was conducted. Then search the institution's website for the author's page. Often the author or the institution's department where it was conducted will have it posted on line for free. A matter of academic pride!

Shh!