title: Endocannabinoid signalling and the deteriorating brain.
abstract: Ageing is characterized by the progressive impairment of physiological functions and increased risk of developing debilitating disorders, including chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. These disorders have common molecular mechanisms that can be targeted therapeutically. In the wake of the approval of the first cannabinoid-based drug for the symptomatic treatment of multiple sclerosis, we examine how endocannabinoid (eCB) signalling controls--and is affected by--normal ageing and neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. We propose a conceptual framework linking eCB signalling to the control of the cellular and molecular hallmarks of these processes, and categorize the key components of endocannabinoid signalling that may serve as targets for novel therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Marzo
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington. [2] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Washington, 1959 Pacific Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98103, USA.
authors.forename: Nephi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stella
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn 53127, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimmer
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D063388:Endocannabinoids