Translating Cannabis: Insights into the Neurobiology of Addiction and its Therapeutic Potential
Yasmin L. Hurd, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is the illicit drug most used in western societies with a reduction in the perceived risk of the drug leading to calls for its legalization for both recreational and medicinal purposes. The spotlight on marijuana has, however, raised awareness about the relative lack of scientific studies that have been conducted regarding its neurobiological actions relevant to addiction risk or to its therapeutic potential. Multiple cannabinoids derive from the marijuana plant that contains different biological properties important for consideration in the development of psychiatric disorders and for therapeutic interventions. This talk will focus on translational studies conducted in preclinical animal models and human clinical investigations highlighting the neurobiological impact of specific cannabinoids on addiction vulnerability and related psychiatric illnesses as well as potential therapeutic properties.