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Neurobiology

Never fear, cannabinoids are here

Nature volume 418, pages 488–489 (2002)Cite this article

Although we understand how fearful memories are stored in the brain, how they are extinguished remains a mystery. The answers may lie with the cannabinoid compounds our bodies produce.

Cannabinoids such as marijuana and hashish have been used for over a thousand years for medicinal and recreational purposes. The active 'ingredient' of these drugs is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which produces effects on nerve cells in the brain by binding to a protein on the neuronal surface, the CB1 receptor1. But of course the receptor is not there simply to detect this externally derived compound: it also binds to 'endogenous' cannabinoids, which are produced naturally by the body. On page 530 of this issue, Marsicano and colleagues2 propose a new role for this 'endocannabinoid' system — extinguishing fear-related memories in mice. The finding might have implications for treating anxiety disorders in humans.

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  1. the Division of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

    Pankaj Sah

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  1. Pankaj Sah
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Correspondence to Pankaj Sah.

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Sah, P. Never fear, cannabinoids are here. Nature 418, 488–489 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/418488b

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/418488b

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