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Timothy M Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Timothy M Brown.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Differential effects of endocannabinoids on [(3)H]-GABA uptake in the rat globus pallidus.

In the globus pallidus, cannabinoid CB(1) receptors are localized pre-synaptically on GABAergic neurons. We assessed the influence of the endocannabinoids, anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) and noladin ether, on the uptake of [(3)H]-GABA in pallidal slices from rat. Both 2-AG and noladin ether increased [(3)H]-GABA uptake (by 40.8 +/- 8.0% and 38.4 +/- 12.5%). The effect of 2-AG was blocked by the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist AM 251. In contrast, neither anandamide nor the agonist WIN 55,212-2 had an effect on [(3)H]-GABA uptake. Different roles might be played by different endocannabinoids, both physiologically and in basal ganglia disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.

Animals↗

Cannabinoids decrease corticostriatal synaptic transmission via an effect on glutamate uptake.

Activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors reduces glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the rodent striatum and is involved in the normal control of motor function by the basal ganglia. Here we investigated CB1 receptor regulation of glutamate release and uptake and synaptic transmission in the rat striatum. We show that CB1 receptor activation reduces both the release and uptake of [3H]glutamate in striatal slices. We also demonstrate that both activation of CB1 receptors and inhibition of glutamate uptake reduce corticostriatal synaptic transmission in a mutually occlusive manner and that both forms of depression are dependent on metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activation. We propose that CB1 receptor activation in the striatum decreases glutamate transporter activity and that the resulting increase in synaptic cleft glutamate concentration causes the activation of presynaptic mGluRs, which then decrease glutamate release.

Amino Acids↗