The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complicated cell-signaling mechanism discovered by researchers studying THC, a well-known cannabinoid, in the early 1990s. Cannabis contains chemicals known as cannabinoids. Experts are still attempting to comprehend the ECS fully. However, we know that it has a role in regulating various functions and processes, including mood, memory, sleep, appetite, fertility, and reproduction. The ECS exists in our bodies whether or not you use Cannabis or its products.
What Exactly Is The ECS?
The ECS is a huge network of chemical signals and cellular receptors found throughout the brain and body. The “cannabinoid” receptors in the brain, known as CB1 receptors, exceed several other receptor types. They operate as a traffic policeman, regulating the amounts and activity of the majority of the other neurotransmitters. It is how they manage things: providing quick feedback and increasing or decreasing the activity of systems that need to be regulated, whether it’s starvation, temperature, or awareness.
Our bodies manufacture endocannabinoids, which are structurally identical to chemicals found in the cannabis plant. The first endocannabinoid identified was named anandamide after the Sanskrit word ananda, which means “bliss.” We all have cannabis-like chemicals floating around in our heads. The cannabis plant, used by humans for over 5,000 years, effectively functions by seizing the old cellular machinery.
How Endocannabinoid Work
Scientists have discovered two important endocannabinoids: 2-arachidonoylglycerol (AEA) and anandamide (2-AG). These contribute to the smooth operation of internal functions. Since the body creates them as required, predicting the average amounts is tough.
The Endocannabinoid Receptors
Endocannabinoids bind to receptors to notify the ECS that it is time to act. Endocannabinoid receptors can be categorized into two types:
- CB1 receptors are present in the central nervous system.
- CB2 receptors are prevalent in your peripheral nervous system, particularly immune cells.
Endocannabinoids can attach to either receptor. The effects are determined by the location of the receptor and the endocannabinoid. Endocannabinoids could target CB1 receptors in a spinal nerve to alleviate pain. Others may attach a CB2 receptor in your immune cells to communicate with autoimmune illnesses.
Enzymes
Enzymes are in charge of degrading endocannabinoids after they have served their purpose. There are two primary enzymes involved in this:
- AEA is broken down by fatty acid amide hydrolase.
- monoacylglycerol acid lipase, which normally degrades 2-AG
THC’s Interaction With The ECS
Among the most common cannabinoids present in Cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The chemical causes euphoria or the “high effect,” as people refer to it. THC, like endocannabinoids, interacts with the ECS by binding to receptors once it enters the body. Its effectiveness originates from its ability to bind to both CB1 and CB2 receptors. It enables it to have various impacts on the body and mind, some of which are more pleasant than others. THC, for example, may assist in alleviating discomfort and boosting appetite levels. However, it can also create paranoia and anxiety in certain people. Scientists are presently investigating methods to create synthetic THC cannabinoids that engage with the ECS exclusively in favorable ways.
What Is The Relationship Between CBD And The ECS?
Cannabidiol is the other major cannabinoid contained in Cannabis (CBD). Researchers are unsure of CBD’s interactions with the ECS. However, they understand that it does not attach to CB1 or CB2 receptors like THC does. Most people believe it prevents the breakdown of endocannabinoids. It permits them to have a greater impact on the body. Others suggest that CBD binds to a yet-unidentified receptor. While the specifics of how CBD works are still being debated, research indicates that it can assist with pain, nausea, and other symptoms linked with various diseases.
Functions Of The ECS
Appetite
various cannabis studies provide evidence for the significance of the endocannabinoid system in food-seeking behavior. According to new research, THC directly increases hunger by acting on CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus nuclei. Hypothalamic neurons are considered to create endocannabinoids that help tightly manage hunger tonically.
Memory
THC-treated mice exhibit inhibition of long-term potentiation in the hippocampus, a mechanism required to create and store long-term memory. These findings may corroborate anecdotal evidence that consuming Cannabis impairs short-term memory. Similar to this finding, mice lacking the CB1 receptor had improved memory and long-term stimulatory effects, implying that the endocannabinoid system may be important in fading old memories.
Stress Reaction
While glucocorticoid production in response to stressful stimuli is an adaptive response required for an organism to respond effectively to a stressor, chronic secretion may be harmful. The endocannabinoid system has been linked to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis’s habituation to recurrent restraint stress. Several studies have shown that anandamide and 2-AG production differs during tonic stress.
Anxiety and Social Behavior
These opposing effects highlight the significance of the endocannabinoid system in regulating anxiety-related behavior. The findings imply that glutamatergic cannabinoid receptors mediate aggression and perform an anxiolytic-like role by blocking excessive arousal: excessive excitement causes an anxiety reaction.
Nervous System Autonomic
Scientists were interested in the role of cannabinoids in the autonomic nervous system after discovering peripheral expression of cannabinoid receptors. According to research, motor neurons innervate visceral organs and express the CB1 receptor presynaptically. The suppression of electric potentials by cannabinoids decreases noradrenaline production from sympathetic nervous system nerves. Anxiety prevents mice from exploring both living and inanimate items.
Physical Activity
Anandamide is a cannabinoid neurotransmitter that interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the body. In humans and other animals, the ECS also mediates some of the physiological and cognitive impacts of voluntary physical exercise, such as promoting exercise-induced euphoria and influencing locomotor activity and motivational salience for rewards.
Conclusion
The ECS is critical to the stability of internal processes. I don’t know about it. As specialists get a greater knowledge of the ECS, it may one day hold the key to treating diseases. More research needs to be conducted to show CBD and ECS.
References
Pagotto, U., Marsicano, G., Cota, D., Lutz, B., & Pasquali, R. (2006). The emerging role of the endocannabinoid system in endocrine regulation and energy balance. Endocrine Reviews, 27(1), 73-100.
Lundqvist, T. (2005). Cognitive consequences of cannabis use: comparison with abuse of stimulants and heroin concerning attention, memory, and executive functions. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 81(2), 319-330.
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