Temporal and spatial layout of endocannabinoid system components in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Environmental light serves as the main entraining signal for the central circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SCN). To shift clock timing with the changing environment, minute adjustments are necessary and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) acts as a neuromodulatory signaling mechanism in the SCN. These systems exert bidirectional effects on one another, still, limited knowledge exists about the role of endocannabinoids in circadian rhythm regulation.

A Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Agonist Reduces Light-induced Phase Delays in Male But Not Female Mice.

Animals adapt to a changing environment by synchronizing their circadian rhythms to different stimuli, the strongest and most reliable being the daily light-dark cycle. Photic information reaches the central circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which drives rhythms in physiology and behavior throughout the brain and body. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a neuromodulatory system that is present within the SCN, including the primary receptor, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1).