Type-2 cannabinoid receptors in neurodegeneration

2016 
Abstract Based on its wide expression in immune cells, type-2 cannabinoid (CB 2 ) receptors were traditionally thought to act as ⿿peripheral receptors⿿ with an almost exclusively immunomodulatory function. However, their recent identification in mammalian brain areas, as well as in distinct neuronal cells, has opened the way to a re-consideration of CB 2 signaling in the context of brain pathophysiology, synaptic plasticity and neuroprotection. To date, accumulated evidence from several independent preclinical studies has offered new perspectives on the possible involvement of CB 2 signaling in brain and spinal cord traumatic injury, as well as in the most relevant neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer⿿s disease, Parkinson⿿s disease and Huntington⿿s chorea. Here, we will review available information on CB 2 in these disease conditions, along with data that support also its therapeutic potential to treat them.
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