Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States of America.
Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States of America.
Pharmacol Ther. 2020 May;209:107495. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107495. Epub 2020 Jan 29.
The legalization of cannabis in some states has intensified interest in the potential for cannabis and its constituents to lead to novel therapeutics for pain. Our understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying cannabinoid actions in the brain have lagged behind opioids; however, the current opioid epidemic has also increased attention on the use of cannabinoids as alternatives to opioids for pain, especially chronic pain that requires long-term use. Endogenous cannabinoids are lipid signaling molecules that have complex roles in modulating neuronal function throughout the brain. In this review, we discuss cannabinoid functions in the descending pain modulatory pathway, a brain circuit that integrates cognitive and emotional processing of pain to modulate incoming sensory inputs. In addition, we highlight areas where further studies are necessary to understand cannabinoid regulation of descending pain modulation.
大麻在一些州的合法化加剧了人们对大麻及其成分可能为疼痛带来新疗法的兴趣。我们对大麻素在大脑中作用的细胞机制的理解落后于阿片类药物；然而，目前的阿片类药物流行也增加了人们对大麻素作为阿片类药物替代品用于治疗疼痛的关注，尤其是需要长期使用的慢性疼痛。内源性大麻素是脂质信号分子，在调节整个大脑中的神经元功能方面发挥着复杂的作用。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了大麻素在下行疼痛调节途径中的作用，该途径是一个大脑回路，整合了对疼痛的认知和情绪处理，以调节传入的感觉输入。此外，我们还强调了需要进一步研究的领域，以了解大麻素对下行疼痛调节的调控。
