RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Increased Severity of Stroke in CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Knock-Out Mice JF The Journal of Neuroscience JO J. Neurosci. FD Society for Neuroscience SP 9771 OP 9775 DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.22-22-09771.2002 VO 22 IS 22 A1 Sophie Parmentier-Batteur A1 Kunlin Jin A1 Xiao Ou Mao A1 Lin Xie A1 David A. Greenberg YR 2002 UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/22/22/9771.abstract AB Endogenous cannabinoid signaling pathways have been implicated in protection of the brain from hypoxia, ischemia, and trauma, but the mechanism for these protective effects is uncertain. We found that in CB1 cannabinoid receptor knock-out mice, mortality from permanent focal cerebral ischemia was increased, infarct size and neurological deficits after transient focal cerebral ischemia were more severe, cerebral blood flow in the ischemic penumbra during reperfusion was reduced, and NMDA neurotoxicity was increased compared with wild-type littermates. These findings indicate that endogenous cannabinoid signaling pathways protect mice from ischemic stroke by a mechanism that involves CB1 receptors, and suggest that both blood vessels and neurons may be targets of this protective effect.