title: The endocannabinoid system in guarding against fear, anxiety and stress.
abstract: The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has emerged as a central integrator linking the perception of external and internal stimuli to distinct neurophysiological and behavioural outcomes (such as fear reaction, anxiety and stress-coping), thus allowing an organism to adapt to its changing environment. eCB signalling seems to determine the value of fear-evoking stimuli and to tune appropriate behavioural responses, which are essential for the organism's long-term viability, homeostasis and stress resilience; and dysregulation of eCB signalling can lead to psychiatric disorders. An understanding of the underlying neural cell populations and cellular processes enables the development of therapeutic strategies to mitigate behavioural maladaptation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.affiliation: Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), U862 NeuroCentre Magendie, Group Endocannabinoids and Neuroadaptation, Bordeaux 33077, France.|University of Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo Saignat, Bordeaux 33077, France.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marsicano
authors.affiliation: Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut i de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA.
authors.forename: Cecilia J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hillard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000378:metabolism; D005239:Fear / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D063388:Endocannabinoids