The Role of Cannabinoidergic System in Prenatal Neurodevelopment

Abstract

The cannabinoidergic system acquired a reputation as the most abundant G-protein coupled receptor in the CNS that acts as retrograde modulator of neurotransmitter release. Recently, endocannabinoids (ECBs) have been highlighted as neurodevelopmental signaling cues that exert a regulatory role in brain development. The interruption in ECB system elements (including receptors and enzymes of synthesis and degradation) in the developing brain is in relation with postnatal CNS pathophysiology. The rapid rates of ECB synthesis/degradation reveal the existence of a dynamically regulated ECB tone during the active neurogenesis.