Cannabinoid CB1 and Dopamine D1 Receptors Partnership in the Modulation of Emotional Neural Processing

Irit Akirav,Liana Fattore

doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00067

Abstract

GENERAL COMMENTARY article Front. Behav. Neurosci., 13 October 2011Sec. Learning and Memory https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00067

Highlights

The contribution of dopamine and cannabinoid neurotransmission in emotional brain circuits regulating motivational and emotional neural processing has been well acknowledged by both animal and clinical studies (LeDoux, 2000; Laviolette and Grace, 2006)
In an intriguing article of the Special Issue “The endocannabinoid system: a key modulator of emotions and cognition” published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Terzian and colleagues provide the first evidence for a physiological cross-talk between the cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1Rs) and the dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) in the modulation of depression-like behavior, social skills, and fear conditioning
These authors examined the responses of conditional CB1 mutant mice genetically selected for the absence of CB1Rs exclusively in neurons containing D1Rs receptors (D1–CB1 KO mice), in a battery of behavioral tests, and reported the following interesting results

Summary

Introduction

The contribution of dopamine and cannabinoid neurotransmission in emotional brain circuits regulating motivational and emotional neural processing has been well acknowledged by both animal and clinical studies (LeDoux, 2000; Laviolette and Grace, 2006). In an intriguing article of the Special Issue “The endocannabinoid system: a key modulator of emotions and cognition” published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Terzian and colleagues provide the first evidence for a physiological cross-talk between the cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1Rs) and the dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) in the modulation of depression-like behavior, social skills, and fear conditioning.

Results

Conclusion