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,...
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...
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
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...
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...
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 & 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...