The endocannabinoid system's significance in maintaining blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity under physiological and pathological conditions is suggested by several reports, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. In this paper, we investigated the effects of depletion of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), one of the main endocannabinoids in the central nervous system, on BBB integrity using pharmacological tools. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with the diacylglycerol lipase α (DAGLα) inhibitor LEI-106 (40 mg/kg, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Headache is a pain disorder present in populations world-wide with a higher incidence in females. Specifically, the incidences of medication overuse headache (MOH) have increased worldwide. Comorbidities of MOH include photosensitivity, anxiety, "brain fog", and decreased physical activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCannabis sativa is one of the oldest medicinal plants in human history. Even ancient physicians from hundreds of years ago used Cannabis sativa to treat several conditions like pain. In the modern era, the research community, including health-care providers, have witnessed wide-scale changes in cannabis policy, legislation, and marketing, with a parallel increase in patient interest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary headache disorders, such as migraine, account for a significant portion of disability rates worldwide, yet patients still struggle to receive the adequate medical and emotional support necessary to improve health outcomes. Insufficient pain management through either impractical pharmaceutical treatments or absent emotional support networks can worsen physical and mental health outcomes since comorbidities commonly associated with headache include hypertension, diabetes, depression, and anxiety. A lack of awareness on headache pathology and its observable severity can lead to pain-related prejudice that destroys beneficial aspects of patient self-advocacy and self-efficacy, thus potentially discouraging the use of healthcare services in favor of maladaptive coping skills.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMounting evidence supports the role of the endocannabinoid system in neurophysiology, including blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Recent work has demonstrated that activation of endocannabinoid receptors can mitigate insults to the BBB during neurological disorders like traumatic brain injury, cortical spreading depression, and stroke. As alterations to the BBB are associated with worsening clinical outcomes in these conditions, studies herein sought to examine the impact of endocannabinoid depletion on BBB integrity.
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