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Supraspinal modulation of pain by cannabinoids: the role of GABA and glutamate
Author(s) -
Rea K,
Roche M,
Finn D P
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707440
Subject(s) - glutamate receptor , neuroscience , pharmacology , chemistry , medicine , psychology , biochemistry , receptor
Recent physiological, pharmacological and anatomical studies provide evidence that one of the main roles of the endocannabinoid system in the brain is the regulation of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate release. This article aims to review this evidence in the context of its implications for pain. We first provide a brief overview of supraspinal regulation of nociception, followed by a review of the evidence that the brain's endocannabinoid system modulates nociception. We look in detail at regulation of supraspinal GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons by the endocannabinoid system and by exogenously administered cannabinoids. Finally, we review the evidence that cannabinoid‐mediated modulation of pain involves modulation of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in key brain regions. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 152 , 633–648; doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707440 ; published online 10 September 2007