13 papers in the library · 65 citations · publishing 1996-2026
February 17, 2026 Linda A. Parker
The mysteries of the brain’s own cannabinoid system exposed and explained. Though cannabis has been used, for pain or pleasure, for over 4000 years, only lately have we learned, first, what makes it work and, more recently, how. Unraveling the mystery of the human brain’s special relationship with a psychoactive chemical derived from a plant—tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC,...
Scientific Reports December 14, 2021 Samantha L Baglot, Catherine Hume, Gavin N Petrie et al.
Up to a third of North Americans report using cannabis in the prior month, most commonly through inhalation. Animal models that reflect human consumption are critical to study the impact of cannabis on brain and behaviour. Most animal studies to date utilize injection of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; primary psychoactive component of cannabis). THC injections produce markedly different...
Synapse March 2018 Bryan Kolb, Yilin Li, Terry Robinson et al.
Psychoactive drugs have the ability to alter the morphology of neuronal dendrites and spines and to influence later experience-dependent structural plasticity. If rats are given repeated injections of psychomotor stimulants (amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine) prior to being placed in complex environments, the drug experience interferes with the ability of the environment to increase dendritic...
Psychopharmacology July 2017 Erin M Rock, Cheryl L Limebeer, Gavin N Petrie et al.
Cannabis is commonly used by humans to relieve stress. Here, we evaluate the potential of intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiol (THC) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA, the precursor of cannabidiol [CBD]) to produce dose-dependent effects on anxiety-like responding in the light-dark (LD) emergence test of anxiety-like responding in rats, when administered acutely or...
Cannabinoids and the Brain March 1, 2017 Linda A. Parker
Marijuana is often used for relaxation, therefore, it is not surprising that the endocannabinoid system is critically involved in the regulation of emotion, anxiety and mood. In preclinical animal models, THC and other CB1 agonists produce a biphasic effect on anxiety, with low doses reducing anxiety (by blocking the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate) and high doses promoting...
Cannabinoids and the Brain March 1, 2017 Linda A. Parker
Although cannabis has been used throughout human history, the scientific investigation of its effects only began with the isolation of THC in the 1960’s. Once discovered it was another 20 years before the mechanism by which THC produces its psychoactive effects in the brain, the CB1 receptor, was discovered. Cannabis contains over 80 cannabinoid compounds, but THC is the only intoxicating...
March 1, 2017 Linda A. Parker
Cannabinoids and the Brain introduces an informed general audience to the scientific discovery of the endocannabinoid system and recent preclinical research that explains its importance in brain functioning. The endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-AG, act on the same cannabinoid receptors, that are activated by the primary psychoactive compound found in marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)....
Cannabinoids and the Brain March 1, 2017 Linda A. Parker
Clearly the majority of people who use marijuana do not develop schizophrenia. Yet, the human literature suggests that there is a modest association between cannabis exposure (particularly in adolescence) and later development of schizophrenia--whether or not this association is causal is hotly debated. This chapter reviews some of the evidence for and against such a causal relationship. The...
Cannabinoids and the Brain March 1, 2017 Linda A. Parker
Global activation of CB1 receptors produces actions on hippocampal neurons, which results in interference with short tem memory and consolidation of memories that are currently being processed. However, such CB1 receptor activation does not impair recall of previously established memories. Evidence suggests that the acute effects of cannabis on memory depend in part on the type of cannabis that...
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior January 2013 Lesley D O'Brien, Kiri L Wills, Blair Segsworth et al.
The acute effects of cannabinoid compounds have been investigated in animal models of anxiety-like behavior and palatability processing. However, the chronic effects of cannabinoids in such models are poorly understood. Experiment 1 compared the effects of both acute and chronic (14 days) exposure to the CB(1) receptor inverse agonist/antagonist, rimonabant, and the cannabis-derived CB(1)...
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology May 1, 1997 I Moroz, Linda A. Parker, S Siegel 11 citations
The ability of ibogaine, injected 24 hr before amphetamine, to modify the establishment of amphetamine-induced place preference learning was assessed. A single injection of ibogaine blocked the establishment of amphetamine place preference after 1 or 2 conditioning trials, but it was less effective after 4 trials. The reduced effectiveness of ibogaine across multiple conditioning trials appears...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry July 1, 1996 Tracey Luxton, Linda A. Parker, S Siegel 13 citations
1. Ibogaine, a proposed anti-addictive agent, has been found to interfere with the acquisition of a weak morphine-induced place preference. The present series of experiments determined if ibogaine would interfere with the expression of a previously established morphine (5 mg/kg) place preference. 2. A single injection of 40 mg/kg of ibogaine 24 h, 12 h or 4 h prior to the preference test...
Behavioral Neuroscience 1996 Linda A. Parker 41 citations
The hedonic properties of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were assessed using the place conditioning, taste reactivity, and taste avoidance tests. LSD produced a conditioned place preference, but only at the highest dose tested (0.2 mg/kg). A single preexposure to the conditioning chamber (latent inhibition) prevented the establishment of a place preference. When paired with sucrose, doses of...