The roles of cannabinoid and dopamine receptor systems in neural emotional learning circuits: implications for schizophrenia and addiction

Cell Mol Life Sci. 2006 Jul;63(14):1597-613. doi: 10.1007/s00018-006-6027-5.

Abstract

Cannabinoids represent one of the most widely used hallucinogenic drugs and induce profound alterations in sensory perception and emotional processing. Similarly, the dopamine (DA) neurotransmitter system is critical for the central processing of emotion and motivation. Functional disturbances in either of these neurotransmitter systems are well-established correlates of the psychopathological symptoms and behavioral manifestations observed in addiction and schizophrenia. Increasing evidence from the anatomical, pharmacological and behavioral neuroscience fields points to complex functional interactions between these receptor systems at the anatomical, pharmacological and neural systems levels. An important question relates to whether these systems act in an orchestrated manner to produce the emotional processing and sensory perception deficits underlying addiction and schizophrenia. This review describes evidence for functional neural interactions between cannabinoid and DA receptor systems and how disturbances in this neural circuitry may underlie the aberrant emotional learning and processing observed in disorders such as addiction and schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amygdala / physiology
  • Animals
  • Appetitive Behavior / physiology
  • Arachidonic Acids / physiology
  • Association Learning / physiology*
  • Cannabinoids / pharmacology
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / pharmacology
  • Dopamine / physiology*
  • Emotions / physiology*
  • Endocannabinoids
  • Humans
  • Interneurons / physiology
  • Models, Neurological
  • Models, Psychological
  • Motivation
  • Nerve Net / drug effects
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Perception / physiology
  • Polyunsaturated Alkamides
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiology
  • Pyramidal Cells / physiology
  • Rats
  • Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / agonists
  • Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / physiology
  • Receptors, Cannabinoid / drug effects
  • Receptors, Cannabinoid / physiology*
  • Receptors, Dopamine / drug effects
  • Receptors, Dopamine / physiology*
  • Reward
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
  • Sensation / physiology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Ventral Tegmental Area / physiology
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / physiology

Substances

  • Arachidonic Acids
  • Cannabinoids
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants
  • Endocannabinoids
  • Polyunsaturated Alkamides
  • Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1
  • Receptors, Cannabinoid
  • Receptors, Dopamine
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
  • anandamide
  • Dopamine