Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers

• Published in: Molecular psychiatry Vol. 17; no. 6; pp. 642 - 649
• Main Authors: Hirvonen, J, Goodwin, R S, Li, C-T, Terry, G E, Zoghbi, S S, Morse, C, Pike, V W, Volkow, N D, Huestis, M A, Innis, R B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.06.2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Abstinence; Adult; Behavioral Sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Psychology; Body mass index; Brain research; Cannabinoid CB1 receptors; Cannabinoids; Cannabis; Cerebral Cortex - drug effects; Cerebral Cortex - metabolism; Chronic exposure; Down-Regulation - drug effects; Drug abuse; Drug withdrawal; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Functional Neuroimaging - methods; Functional Neuroimaging - psychology; Humans; Male; Marijuana; Marijuana Smoking - metabolism; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental health; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences; original-article; Pharmacotherapy; Positron emission tomography; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Positron-Emission Tomography - psychology; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Pyrrolidinones; Receptor density; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 - metabolism; Smoke; Smoking; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - metabolism; Time Factors; Tobacco; Tomography; Urine; United States > US; Baltimore Maryland; cannabis; receptor; positron emission tomography; receptor imaging; addiction; CB; Radionuclide study; CB1 cannabinoid receptor; Central nervous system; Cannabidaceae; Encephalon; Cannabis; Chronic; Addiction; Smoker; Dicotyledones; Imaging; Cannabinoid receptor; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Drug of abuse; Positron emission tomography; Recreational drug; Biological receptor; Emission tomography

Chronic cannabis (marijuana, hashish) smoking can result in dependence. Rodent studies show reversible downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB 1 (cannabinoid receptor type 1) receptors after chronic exposure to cannabis. However, whether downregulation occurs in humans who chronically smoke cannabis...