Submitted on September 19, 2008
Revised on November 3, 2008
Accepted on November 3, 2008
Role of Endocannabinoids in 5-HT2A Receptor-mediated Effects
William Martin Connelly1* and Matthew J Baggott2
1 University of Otago
2 University of California Berkeley
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bill.connelly{at}otago.ac.nz.
Endocannabinoids are lipid retrograde messengers that can be released by postsynaptic depolarization and/or activation of certain metabotropic receptors. We review a recent report that activation of metabotropic 5-HT2 receptors by endogenous serotonin induces the release of endocannabinoids in the olivary nucleus and suppresses glutamatergic input. This serotonin/endocannabinoid interaction has implications in the pathophysiology of pain and mental illness and raises the possibility that drugs targeting the 5-HT2 receptor may act by modulating endocannabinoid release.
