Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Jul;40(7):385-396.
doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.04.005. Epub 2017 May 26.

Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Control of Social Behavior

Don Wei  1 , Stephen Allsop  2 , Kay Tye  3 , Daniele Piomelli  4
Affiliations
Review

Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Control of Social Behavior

Don Wei et al. Trends Neurosci. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Many mammalian species, including humans, exhibit social behavior and form complex social groups. Mechanistic studies in animal models have revealed important roles for the endocannabinoid signaling system, comprising G protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous lipid-derived agonists, in the control of neural processes that underpin social anxiety and social reward, two key aspects of social behavior. An emergent insight from these studies is that endocannabinoid signaling in specific circuits of the brain is context dependent and selectively recruited. These insights open new vistas on the neural basis of social behavior and social impairment.

Keywords: 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol; anandamide; autism spectrum disorder; schizophrenia; social anxiety; social reward.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized model for oxytocin-driven endocannabinoid signaling. Social contact activates a population of oxytocin neurons that are located in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to drive endocannabinoid-mediated plasticity. Based on data in [55,56].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Long T, et al. Cannabis in Eurasia: origin of human use and Bronze Age transcontinental connections. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 2016;26:245–258.
    1. Clarke RC, Merlin MD. Cannabis: evolution and ethnobotany. University of California Press; Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: 2013.
    1. Small E. Evolution and Classification of Cannabis sativa (Marijuana, Hemp) in Relation to Human Utilization. Bot Rev. 2015;81:189–294.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®) American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
    1. Whiting PF, et al. Cannabinoids for medical use: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2015;313:2456–2473. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances