A drug that boosts levels of the brain's own "bliss" chemical can help reverse symptoms of depression in rats, US and Italian researchers reported.
The drug helps maintain high levels of a compound called anandamide, named after the Sanskrit word for "bliss," which is chemically similar to the active ingredient in marijuana.
"These findings raise the hope that the mood-elevating properties of marijuana can be harnessed to treat depression," said Daniele Piomelli, director of the Center for Drug Discovery at the University of California, Irvine, who led the study.
"Marijuana itself has shown no clinical use for depression.
However, specific drugs that amplify the actions of natural marijuana-like transmitters in the brain are showing great promise," he added in a statement.
Piomelli's team used a drug patented this year, called URB597. It interferes with another compound called fatty acid amide hydrolase or FAAH, which in turn breaks down anandamide.
Link to full story http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=112912
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