Selective inhibition of 2-AG hydrolysis enhances endocannabinoid signaling in hippocampus
Open Access
- 7 August 2005
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Neuroscience
- Vol. 8 (9) , 1139-1141
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1521
Abstract
The functions of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), the most abundant endocannabinoid found in the brain, remain largely unknown. Here we show that two previously unknown inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase, a presynaptic enzyme that hydrolyzes 2-AG, increase 2-AG levels and enhance retrograde signaling from pyramidal neurons to GABAergic terminals in the hippocampus. These results establish a role for 2-AG in synaptic plasticity and point to monoacylglycerol lipase as a possible drug target.Keywords
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