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Giovanni Marsicano

8 papers in the library · publishing 2001-2025

Papers

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An astrocytic ensemble at vHip-NAc synapses modulates cognitive impairments induced by chronic tetrahydrocannabinol exposure.

Nature Communications December 9, 2025 Cristina Martín-Monteagudo, Javier Sánchez Romero, Julia Adams et al.

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, particularly during adolescence. Its consumption disrupts glutamate homeostasis and synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Here, we identify a functionally distinct accumbal astrocytic ensemble, associated with the ventral hippocampus-NAc (vHip→NAc) circuit, that is critical for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced synaptic and...

Signaling-specific inhibition of the CB1 receptor for cannabis use disorder: phase 1 and phase 2a randomized trials.

Nature Medicine June 2023 Margaret Haney, Monique Vallée, Sandy Fabre et al.

Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is widespread, and there is no pharmacotherapy to facilitate its treatment. AEF0117, the first of a new pharmacological class, is a signaling-specific inhibitor of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1-SSi). AEF0117 selectively inhibits a subset of intracellular effects resulting from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) binding without modifying behavior per se. In mice and...

Cannabinoid-induced motor dysfunction via autophagy inhibition.

Autophagy December 2020 Cristina Blázquez, Andrea Ruiz-Calvo, Raquel Bajo-Grañeras et al.

The recreational and medical use of cannabis is largely increasing worldwide. Cannabis use, however, can cause adverse side effects, so conducting innovative studies aimed to understand and potentially reduce cannabis-evoked harms is important. Previous research conducted on cultured neural cells had supported that CNR1/CB1R (cannabinoid receptor 1), the main molecular target of cannabis,...

Glucose metabolism links astroglial mitochondria to cannabinoid effects.

Nature July 2020 Daniel Jimenez-Blasco, Arnau Busquets-García, Etienne Hebert-Chatelain et al.

Astrocytes take up glucose from the bloodstream to provide energy to the brain, thereby allowing neuronal activity and behavioural responses1-5. By contrast, astrocytes are under neuronal control through specific neurotransmitter receptors5-7. However, whether the activation of astroglial receptors can directly regulate cellular glucose metabolism to eventually modulate behavioural responses is...

Dissociation of the pharmacological effects of THC by mTOR blockade.

Neuropsychopharmacology June 2013 Emma Puighermanal, Arnau Busquets-García, Maria Gomis-Gonzalez et al.

The potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoid compounds have raised interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie cannabinoid-mediated effects. We previously showed that the acute amnesic-like effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were prevented by the subchronic inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. In the present study, we assess the...

Genetic dissection of behavioural and autonomic effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol in mice.

PLoS Biology October 2007 Krisztina Monory, Heike Blaudzun, Federico Massa et al.

Marijuana and its main psychotropic ingredient Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exert a plethora of psychoactive effects through the activation of the neuronal cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), which is expressed by different neuronal subpopulations in the central nervous system. The exact neuroanatomical substrates underlying each effect of THC are, however, not known. We tested locomotor,...

Differential role of the nitric oxide pathway on delta(9)-THC-induced central nervous system effects in the mouse.

European Journal of Neuroscience February 2001 S C Azad, Giovanni Marsicano, I Eberlein et al.

This study investigated whether the nitric oxide pathway was involved in the central effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC), the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis sativa. Body temperature, nociception and locomotion were measured in neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) knock-out (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) controls after intraperitoneal application of Delta(9)-THC....

Astrocytic Ensemble at vHip-NAc synapses Modulates Cognitive Impairments Induced by Chronic THC Exposure

Marta Navarrete, Cristina Martín-Monteagudo, Nagore Puente et al. preprint

Abstract Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, particularly during adolescence, and its consumption disrupts glutamate homeostasis and synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). While astrocytic cannabinoid receptors (CB1Rs) are known to modulate synaptic plasticity and behavior, the extent to which specific astrocytic ensembles drive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced...