Detection of Impending Aggressive Outbursts in Patients with Psychiatric Disorders: Violence Clues from Dogs.

Aggression in psychiatric wards is a continuing matter of concern for both patients and medical staff. Here we have tested the hypothesis that the frequency of such incidents can be reduced with a new strategy of using trained alert dogs that warn of impending violent outbursts. Dogs were positioned among patients in psychiatric wards.

Blocking the postpartum mouse dam's CB1 receptors impairs maternal behavior as well as offspring development and their adult social-emotional behavior.

Maternal care is the newborns' first experience of social interaction, which affects their development and social competence throughout life. For the first time, we investigated the involvement of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in mother-infant interaction in mice. We found that blocking the dam's CB1 receptors (CB1R) by the antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant (SR141716) during postpartum days 1-8 affected maternal behavior as well as the social and emotional characteristics of the offspring as adults.

Behavioral alterations in cystic fibrosis mice are prevented by cannabinoid treatment in infancy.

Substantial data have been accumulated regarding the molecular basis of cystic fibrosis (CF) pathogenesis, whereas the influence of biochemical impairments on brain processes has been the focus of much less attention. We have studied some behavioral parameters, such as motor activity and anxiety level, in a mice model of CF. We have assumed that functioning of the endocannabinoid system could be impaired in CF (endocannabinoids are fatty acid derivatives, and fatty acid deficiency is considered a major factor in CF etiology).

Treatment with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) prevents infertility in male cystic fibrosis mice.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a hereditary disease caused by mutations of the gene encoding a channel protein CFTR, conducting Cl- and HCO3 - ions. The disease is characterized by disturbances in most physiological systems, and more than 95% of men are infertile. The mechanism underlying the etiology of CF is associated with an imbalance of fatty acids.

The endocannabinoid system during development: emphasis on perinatal events and delayed effects.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) including its receptors, endogenous ligands ("endocannabinoids"), synthesizing and degradating enzymes, and transporter molecules has been detected from the earliest embryonal stages and throughout pre- and postnatal development; endocannabinoids, notably 2-arachidonoylglycerol, are also present in maternal milk. During three developmental stages, (1) early embryonal, (2) prenatal brain development, and (3) postnatal suckling, the ECS plays an essential role for development and survival. During early gestation, successful embryonal passage through the oviduct and implantation into the uterus require critical enzymatic control of the endocannabinoids.