Di Iorio Giuseppe, Lupi Matteo, Sarchione Fabiola, Matarazzo Ilaria, Santacroce Rita, Petruccelli Filippo, Martinotti Giovanni, Di Giannantonio Massimo
Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
Department of Human, Social and Health Sciences, University of Cassino, Cassino, Italy.
Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2013 Dec;2(3):100-6. doi: 10.5812/ijhrba.9222. Epub 2013 Dec 14.
Following the characterization of the chemical structure of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of marijuana, researchers have moved on with scientific valuable explorations.
The aim of this review is to highlight the role of endocannabinoid system in neurodegenerative diseases.
The article is a critical analysis of the most recent data currently present in scientific literature on the subject; a qualitative synthesis of only the most significant articles has been performed.
In central nervous system, endocannabinoids show a neuromodulatory function, often of retrograde type. This way, they play an important role in synaptic plasticity and in cognitive, motor, sensory and affective processes. In addition, in some acute or chronic pathologies of central nervous system, such as neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, endocannabinoids can perform a pro-homeostatic and neuroprotective function, through the activation of CB1 and CB2 receptors. Scientific evidence shows that an hypofunction or a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system may be responsible for some of the symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
The important role played by endocannabinoid system promises interesting developments, in particular to evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs in both psychiatry and neurology.
在对大麻的主要精神活性成分 Δ⁹-四氢大麻酚（THC）的化学结构进行表征之后，研究人员展开了具有科学价值的探索。
本综述旨在强调内源性大麻素系统在神经退行性疾病中的作用。
本文是对该主题科学文献中当前最新数据的批判性分析；仅对最重要的文章进行了定性综合。
在中枢神经系统中，内源性大麻素表现出神经调节功能，通常为逆行性调节。通过这种方式，它们在突触可塑性以及认知、运动、感觉和情感过程中发挥重要作用。此外，在中枢神经系统的一些急性或慢性疾病中，如神经退行性疾病和神经炎症性疾病，内源性大麻素可通过激活 CB1 和 CB2 受体发挥促稳态和神经保护功能。科学证据表明，内源性大麻素系统功能减退或失调可能是导致多发性硬化症、肌萎缩侧索硬化症、亨廷顿舞蹈症、帕金森病和阿尔茨海默病等疾病某些症状的原因。
内源性大麻素系统所发挥的重要作用预示着有趣的进展，特别是在评估新药在精神病学和神经病学方面的有效性方面。
