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Feeding Disorders and Obesity

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Behavioral Neurobiology of the Endocannabinoid System

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences ((CTBN,volume 1))

Abstract

The ability of the endocannabinoid (EC) system to control appetite, food intake and energy balance has recently received great attention, particularly in the light of the different modes of action underlying these functions. The EC system modulates rewarding properties of food by acting at specific mesolimbic areas in the brain. In the hypothalamus, cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1) and ECs are integrated components of the networks controlling appetite and food intake. Interestingly, the EC system has recently been shown to control several metabolic functions by acting on peripheral tissues, such as adipocytes, hepatocytes, the skeletal muscles and the endocrine pancreas. The relevance of the system is further strengthened by the notion that visceral obesity seems to be a condition in which an overactivation of the EC system occurs; therefore, drugs interfering with this overactivation by blocking CB1 receptors are considered valuable candidates for the treatment of obesity and related cardiometabolic risk factors.

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Abbreviations

AEA:

Anandamide

AMPK:

5'-AMP-activated protein kinase

AN:

Anorexia nervosa

2AG:

2-arachidonoyl-glycerol

BED:

Binge-eating disorder

BN:

Bulimia nervosa

CART:

Cocaine-amphetamine-related transcript

CB1:

Cannabinoid receptor type 1

CRH:

Corticotropin releasing hormone

GABA:

Gamma-aminobutyric acid

EC:

Endocannabinoid

HDL:

High-density lipoprotein

HOMA-IR:

Homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance

LDL:

Low-density lipoprotein

MCH:

Melanocortin concentrating hormone

NPY:

Neuropeptide Y

PPAR:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor

PVN:

Paraventricular nucleus

RIO:

Rimonabant in obesity

THC:

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrinology Unit and C.R.B.A., Department of Clinical Medicine and Gastroenterology, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy

    Cristina Cervino, Valentina Vicennati, Renato Pasquali & Uberto Pagotto

Authors
  1. Cristina Cervino
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  2. Valentina Vicennati
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  3. Renato Pasquali
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  4. Uberto Pagotto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Uberto Pagotto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom

    Dave Kendall

  2. Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom

    Stephen Alexander

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Cervino, C., Vicennati, V., Pasquali, R., Pagotto, U. (2009). Feeding Disorders and Obesity. In: Kendall, D., Alexander, S. (eds) Behavioral Neurobiology of the Endocannabinoid System. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88955-7_15

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