Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1297:111-132. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-61663-2_8.
The main noradrenergic and serotonergic nuclei in the central nervous system (CNS) are the locus coeruleus (LC) and the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). These brain areas, located in the brainstem, play a pivotal role in the control of various functions and behaviors that are altered by cannabinoids (i.e., pain, arousal, mood, anxiety, or sleep-wake cycle). Anatomical, neurochemical, and functional data suggest that cannabinoids regulate both central noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission. Thus, strong evidence has shown that the firing activity of LC and DRN monoamine neurons or the synthesis/release of noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) in the projection areas are all affected by cannabinoid administration. Herein, we propose that interaction between the endocannabinoid system and the noradrenergic-serotonergic systems could account for some of the anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antinociceptive effects of cannabinoids or the disruption of attention/sleep induced by these drugs.
中枢神经系统（CNS）中的主要去甲肾上腺素能和 5-羟色胺能核团是蓝斑核（LC）和中缝背核（DRN）。这些位于脑干中的脑区在控制各种功能和行为方面起着关键作用，而这些功能和行为会受到大麻素的改变（即疼痛、觉醒、情绪、焦虑或睡眠-觉醒周期）。解剖学、神经化学和功能数据表明，大麻素调节中枢去甲肾上腺素能和 5-羟色胺能神经传递。因此，大量证据表明，LC 和 DRN 单胺神经元的放电活动或投射区去甲肾上腺素（NA）和 5-羟色胺（5-HT）的合成/释放均受大麻素给药的影响。在此，我们提出内源性大麻素系统与去甲肾上腺素能-5-羟色胺能系统之间的相互作用可以解释大麻素的一些抗焦虑、抗抑郁和抗伤害感受作用，或者这些药物引起的注意力/睡眠障碍。
