Angelucci Francesco, Ricci Valerio, Spalletta Gianfranco, Pomponi Massimiliano, Tonioni Federico, Caltagirone Carlo, Bria Pietro
IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Rome, Italy.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2008 Dec;18(12):882-7. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2008.07.008. Epub 2008 Sep 6.
Chronic cannabis use produces effects within the central nervous system (CNS) which include deficits in learning and attention tasks and decreased brain volume. Neurotrophins, in particular nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are proteins that serve as survival factors for CNS neurons. Deficits in the production and utilization of these proteins can lead to CNS dysfunctions including those associated with cannabis abuse. In this study we measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) the NGF and BDNF serum levels in two groups of subjects: cannabis-dependent patients and healthy subjects. We found that NGF serum levels were significantly reduced in cannabis abusers as compared to healthy subjects. These findings indicate that NGF may have a role in the central action of cannabis and potentially in the neurotoxicity induced by this drug. These data also suggest that chronic cannabis consumption may be a risk factor for developing psychosis among drug users.
长期使用大麻会在中枢神经系统（CNS）产生影响，包括学习和注意力任务方面的缺陷以及脑容量减小。神经营养因子，特别是神经生长因子（NGF）和脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF），是作为中枢神经系统神经元存活因子的蛋白质。这些蛋白质的产生和利用不足会导致中枢神经系统功能障碍，包括与大麻滥用相关的功能障碍。在本研究中，我们通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）测量了两组受试者的NGF和BDNF血清水平：大麻依赖患者和健康受试者。我们发现，与健康受试者相比，大麻滥用者的NGF血清水平显著降低。这些发现表明，NGF可能在大麻的中枢作用中发挥作用，并可能在该药物引起的神经毒性中发挥作用。这些数据还表明，长期吸食大麻可能是吸毒者患精神病的一个风险因素。
