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Do cannabinoids reduce brain power?

Extracts from the Cannabis plants, or cannabinoids, bind to the same receptors as do endogenous cannabinoids. Although usually found on nerve terminals, where their activation inhibits transmitter release, cannabinoid receptors are now reported to exist on mitochondria, where their activation by endocannabinoids regulates energy metabolism.

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Figure 1: Model of pmCB1s and mtCB1s in presynaptic nerve terminals.

Katie Vicari

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Acknowledgements

Our work was supported by US National Institutes of Health grants RO1 MH077277 and RO1 DA014625 (B.E.A.).

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Correspondence to Bradley E Alger.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Alger, B., Tang, AH. Do cannabinoids reduce brain power?. Nat Neurosci 15, 499–501 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3072

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