Tonic Endocannabinoid Levels Modulate Retinal Signaling
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15469326 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charles F Yates (0000-0002-0125-6257, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital), Jin Y Huang (0000-0001-9175-426X, The University of Sydney), Darío A Protti (0000-0002-2554-6419, The University of Sydney, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 19 |
| Pages | 12460-12460 |
| Publication date | 2022-09-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph191912460 |
| PMID | 36231760 |
| OpenAlex | W4303685663 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
The endocannabinoid (eCB) system is critically involved in the modulation of synaptic transmission in the central nervous system, playing an important role in the control of emotional responses, neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity among other functions. The eCB system is also present in the retina, with studies indicating changes in function after application of cannabinoid receptor agonists, antagonists and in knockout models. Whether eCBs are tonically released in the retina and their physiological functions is, however, still unknown. We investigated the role of the eCB system in the modulation of response strength of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to light stimulation, their receptive field organization, contrast sensitivity and excitability properties by performing whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in mouse RGCs before and after bath application of URB597, an inhibitor of the enzyme that degrades the eCB anandamide. Our results show that URB597 application leads to a reduction in the strength of synaptic inputs onto RGCs but paradoxically increases RGC excitability. In addition, URB597 was shown to modulate receptive field organization and contrast sensitivity of RGCs. We conclude that tonically released eCBs modulate retinal signaling by acting on traditional cannabinoid receptors (CB1R/CB2R) as well as on non-cannabinoid receptor targets. Thus, a thorough understanding of the effects of drugs that alter the endogenous cannabinoid levels and of exogenous cannabinoids is necessary to fully comprehend the impact of their medical as well as recreational use on vision
Agonist · Biology · Cannabinoid · Cannabinoid receptor · Endocannabinoid system · Neurotransmission · Receptive field · Receptor · Retina · Synaptic plasticity · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Neuroscience · Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research · Sleep and Wakefulness Research · Biochemistry
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |