Study Objectives: Serotonin, acting in the peripheral nervous system, can exacerbate sleep-related apnea, and systemically administered serotonin antagonists reduce sleep-disordered respiration in rats and bulldogs. Because cannabinoid receptor agonists are…
Condition: Sleep
Intrahippocampal administration of anandamide increases REM sleep
A nascent literature has postulated endocannabinoids (eCBs) as strong sleep-inducing lipids, particularly rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMs), nevertheless the exact mechanisms behind this effect remain to be determined. Anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glycerol,…
Intranodose ganglion injections of dronabinol attenuate serotonin-induced apnea in Sprague-Dawley rat
Obstructive sleep apnea represents a significant public health concern. Afferent vagal activation is implicated in increased apnea susceptibility by reducing upper airway muscle tone via activation of serotonin receptors in…
Potential Effects of Cannabidiol as a Wake-Promoting Agent
Over the last decades, the scientific interest in chemistry and pharmacology of cannabinoids has increased. Most attention has focused on Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9 -THC) as it is the psychoactive constituent…
Proof of concept trial of dronabinol in obstructive sleep apnea
Study Objective: Animal data suggest that ∆9 -TetraHydroCannabinol (∆9THC) stabilizes autonomic output during sleep, reduces spontaneous sleep-disordered breathing, and blocks serotonin-induced exacerbation of sleep apnea. On this basis, we examined…
The effects of cannabinoid administration on sleep: a systematic review of human studies
This paper reviews the literature regarding the effects of cannabinoid administration on sleep in humans. A literature search using a set of cannabinoid and sleep-related terms was conducted across eight…
The Emerging Role of the Endocannabinoid System in the Sleep-Wake Cycle Modulation
The endocannabinoid system comprises amides, esters and ethers of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Narachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide; ANA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) ligands for the cannabinoid family of…
The Nonpsychoactive Cannabis Constituent Cannabidiol Is a Wake-Inducing Agent
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a constituent of Cannabis sativa that induces nonpsychotropic effects, and some of its biological actions in sleep have been described by the authors’ group. Here, the authors…