Molecular Alterations of the Endocannabinoid System in Psychiatric Disorders

NAVARRO, DANIELA; GASPARYAN, ANI; NAVARRETE, FRANCISCO; TORREGROSA, ABRAHAM B.; RUBIO, GABRIEL; MARÍN-MAYOR, MARTA; ACOSTA, GABRIELA B.; GARCIA-GUTIÉRREZ, MARIA SALUD; MANZANARES, JORGE

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY PRESERVATION INTERNATIONAL-MDPI

Año: 2022 vol. 23

1422-0067

The therapeutic benefits of the current medications for patients with psychiatric disorderscontrast with a great variety of adverse effects. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) componentshave gained high interest as potential new targets for treating psychiatry diseases because of theirneuromodulator role, which is essential to understanding the regulation of many brain functions. Thisarticle reviewed the molecular alterations in ECS occurring in different psychiatric conditions. Themethods used to identify alterations in the ECS were also described. We used a translational approach.The animal models reproducing some behavioral and/or neurochemical aspects of psychiatricdisorders and the molecular alterations in clinical studies in post-mortem brain tissue or peripheraltissues were analyzed. This article reviewed the most relevant ECS changes in prevalent psychiatricdiseases such as mood disorders, schizophrenia, autism, attentional deficit, eating disorders (ED), andaddiction. The review concludes that clinical research studies are urgently needed for two differentpurposes: (1) To identify alterations of the ECS components potentially useful as new biomarkersrelating to a specific disease or condition, and (2) to design new therapeutic targets based on thespecific alterations found to improve the pharmacological treatment in psychiatry.