Exercise activates the endocannabinoid system

Sparling, Phillip B.; Giuffrida, Andrea; Piomelli, Daniele; Rosskopf, Linda B.; Dietrich, Andrea M.

doi:10.1097/00001756-200312020-00015

Cited by 256 publications

(215 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The importance of this adaptation in the behavioral consequences of the activation of the central reward pathway is evident when considering that exercise activates the endocannabinoid system also in humans (Sparling et al, 2003), and that both the motivation for sweet food (Simiand et al, 1998;Cota et al, 2003;Ward and Dykstra, 2005;Mahler et al, 2007) and the rewarding properties of cocaine (Chaperon et al, 1998) are significantly attenuated after the blockade of cannabinoid CB1 receptors.…”

Section: Striatal Cannabinoid Receptors After Natural Rewards V De Chmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voluntary Exercise and Sucrose Consumption Enhance Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Sensitivity in the Striatum

Chiara

Errico

Musella

et al. 2009

Neuropsychopharmacol

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The endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of the central reward pathway. Running wheel and sucrose consumption have rewarding and reinforcing properties in rodents, and share many neurochemical and behavioral characteristics with drug addiction. In this study, we investigated whether running wheel or sucrose consumption altered the sensitivity of striatal synapses to the activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors. We found that cannabinoid CB1 receptor-mediated presynaptic control of striatal inhibitory postsynaptic currents was remarkably potentiated after these environmental manipulations. In contrast, the sensitivity of glutamate synapses to CB1 receptor stimulation was unaltered, as well as that of GABA synapses to the stimulation of presynaptic GABAB receptors. The sensitization of cannabinoid CB1 receptor-mediated responses was slowly reversible after the discontinuation of running wheel or sucrose consumption, and was also detectable following the mobilization of endocannabinoids by metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 stimulation. Finally, we found that the upregulation of cannabinoid transmission induced by wheel running or sucrose had a crucial role in the protective effects of these environmental manipulations against the motor and synaptic consequences of stress.

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Section: Striatal Cannabinoid Receptors After Natural Rewards V De Chmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voluntary Exercise and Sucrose Consumption Enhance Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Sensitivity in the Striatum

Chiara

Errico

Musella

et al. 2009

Neuropsychopharmacol

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“…Sparling and colleagues reported significant increases in plasma levels of AEA (but not 2-AG) after moderateintensity aerobic activity (running or cycling at ~70-80% of maximum heart rate) (Sparling et al, 2003). Although their study measured plasma levels, eCBs are highly lipophilic, which allows them to readily cross the blood-brain barrier (Dietrich and McDaniel, 2004;Sparling et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the ‘runner’s high’

Raichlen

Foster

Gerdeman

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

219

146

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SUMMARYHumans report a wide range of neurobiological rewards following moderate and intense aerobic activity, popularly referred to as the ʻrunnerʼs highʼ, which may function to encourage habitual aerobic exercise. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are endogenous neurotransmitters that appear to play a major role in generating these rewards by activating cannabinoid receptors in brain reward regions during and after exercise. Other species also regularly engage in endurance exercise (cursorial mammals), and as humans share many morphological traits with these taxa, it is possible that exercise-induced eCB signaling motivates habitual high-intensity locomotor behaviors in cursorial mammals. If true, then neurobiological rewards may explain variation in habitual locomotor activity and performance across mammals. We measured circulating eCBs in humans, dogs (a cursorial mammal) and ferrets (a non-cursorial mammal) before and after treadmill exercise to test the hypothesis that neurobiological rewards are linked to high-intensity exercise in cursorial mammals. We show that humans and dogs share significantly increased exercise-induced eCB signaling following high-intensity endurance running. eCB signaling does not significantly increase following low-intensity walking in these taxa, and eCB signaling does not significantly increase in the non-cursorial ferrets following exercise at any intensity. This study provides the first evidence that inter-specific variation in neurotransmitter signaling may explain differences in locomotor behavior among mammals. Thus, a neurobiological reward for endurance exercise may explain why humans and other cursorial mammals habitually engage in aerobic exercise despite the higher associated energy costs and injury risks, and why non-cursorial mammals avoid such locomotor behaviors.

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“…Plasma concentrations of anandamide have been studied in a number of investigations (24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29); interestingly, wide variations of mean plasma anandamide concentrations were reported in cohorts of healthy volunteers we.g., Fernandez-Rodriguez et al (27), mean anandamide concentration 0.13 mg/L; De Marchi et al (24), mean concentration 0.9 mg/Lx (conversion of units for anandamide: wnmol/Lx=0.35™wmg/Lx; wmg/Lx=2.87™wnmol/Lx). In these studies, reliable and accurate isotope dilution mass spectrometry methods were applied, but the authors gave no detailed information on preanalytical sample handling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Release of anandamide from blood cells

Vogeser¹,

Hauer²,

Azad³

et al. 2006

Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)

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Background: Endogenous ligands of cannabinoid receptors (endocannabinoids), in particular anandamide (arachidonylethanolamide), have been recognized as being of crucial importance in a variety of physiological functions. Plasma concentrations of anandamide have been measured in a number of investigations; however, discrepant data on ''normal'' anandamide plasma concentrations were reported. Since this might be caused by pre-analytical variables, we investigated the impact of different sample handling conditions on measured plasma anandamide concentrations. Methods: Blood samples were taken from healthy volunteers in EDTA-or heparin-containing tubes; whole blood samples were kept at q48C, room temperature, or 378C, respectively, for up to 120 min before obtaining plasma by centrifugation. Plasma anandamide concentrations were measured by an isotope-dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Results: A marked time-and temperature-dependent increase in plasma anandamide concentrations ex vivo was observed in both EDTA-and heparin-containing tubes. Mean anandamide concentrations approximately doubled when EDTA samples were kept at 48C for 60 min before centrifugation wimme-

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Exercise activates the endocannabinoid system

Cited by 256 publications

References 9 publications

Voluntary Exercise and Sucrose Consumption Enhance Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Sensitivity in the Striatum

Voluntary Exercise and Sucrose Consumption Enhance Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Sensitivity in the Striatum

Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the ‘runner’s high’

Release of anandamide from blood cells

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