Originally published July 7 2005
Study shows marijuana-like chemicals in brain linked to pain suppression
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Cannabinoids, produced naturally in the body, help provide pain relief, according to a study by University of California Irvine researchers, and Join Together reports that the information could help scientists develop pain-relieving drugs derived from (or that mimic the effects of) marijuana.
Researchers say that cannabinoids produced naturally in the body help provide pain relief; the substances operate on the same brain centers as the active ingredients in marijuana.
The BBC reported June 22 that stress-related pain sparked rats to begin producing the cannabinoid 2-AG; researchers from the University of California at Irvine said the finding could help scientists develop pain-relieving drugs derived from marijuana or that mimic its effects.
Researchers then worked to block production of the enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase, which normally causes 2-AG production to cease.
"This study shows for the first time that natural marijuana-like chemicals in the brain have a link to pain suppression," said researcher and university professor Danielle Piomelli.
"Aside from identifying an important function of these compounds, it provides a template for a new class of pain medications that can possibly replace others shown to have acute side-effects.
If we design chemicals that can tweak the levels of these cannabinoid compounds in the brain, we might be able to boost their normal effects."
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