Dr. Matthew Hill

And we call that anterograde because it moves from neuron A to neuron B, which is kind of the general flow of things and how we usually think about it. So endocannabinoids are kind of this, you know, little bit of an oddity in the sense that they could do the reverse.

And we call that anterograde because it moves from neuron A to neuron B, which is kind of the general flow of things and how we usually think about it. So endocannabinoids are kind of this, you know, little bit of an oddity in the sense that they could do the reverse.

And we call that anterograde because it moves from neuron A to neuron B, which is kind of the general flow of things and how we usually think about it. So endocannabinoids are kind of this, you know, little bit of an oddity in the sense that they could do the reverse.

And so endocannabinoids are actually made in neuron B on the postsynaptic side, and then they go backwards and act on neuron A to regulate how much transmitter is released. And so in many ways, this is like I kind of liken it to a thermostat model for the most part. Certainly, if we're talking about something like excitability.

And so endocannabinoids are actually made in neuron B on the postsynaptic side, and then they go backwards and act on neuron A to regulate how much transmitter is released. And so in many ways, this is like I kind of liken it to a thermostat model for the most part. Certainly, if we're talking about something like excitability.

And so endocannabinoids are actually made in neuron B on the postsynaptic side, and then they go backwards and act on neuron A to regulate how much transmitter is released. And so in many ways, this is like I kind of liken it to a thermostat model for the most part. Certainly, if we're talking about something like excitability.

So if neuron A is dumping out something that excites neuron B, like glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter, as neuron B gets too excited, it's going to start releasing endocannabinoids to go back and tell neuron A to stop driving it.

So if neuron A is dumping out something that excites neuron B, like glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter, as neuron B gets too excited, it's going to start releasing endocannabinoids to go back and tell neuron A to stop driving it.

So if neuron A is dumping out something that excites neuron B, like glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter, as neuron B gets too excited, it's going to start releasing endocannabinoids to go back and tell neuron A to stop driving it.

Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, no matter how you discuss it and what system you discuss it, I think the majority of people in the cannabinoid field would agree that the primary physiological role of endocannabinoids is to maintain homeostasis. That's what they do. They keep everything in its happy place, let's say.

Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, no matter how you discuss it and what system you discuss it, I think the majority of people in the cannabinoid field would agree that the primary physiological role of endocannabinoids is to maintain homeostasis. That's what they do. They keep everything in its happy place, let's say.

Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, no matter how you discuss it and what system you discuss it, I think the majority of people in the cannabinoid field would agree that the primary physiological role of endocannabinoids is to maintain homeostasis. That's what they do. They keep everything in its happy place, let's say.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Exactly.

So you want to keep things in where they should be. And so you want neurons to get excited, but you don't want them to get overexcited. So endocannabinoids, in kind of a very prototypical sense, act as this circuit breaker, essentially, where they go back and gate how much is coming in. And they do this by...

So you want to keep things in where they should be. And so you want neurons to get excited, but you don't want them to get overexcited. So endocannabinoids, in kind of a very prototypical sense, act as this circuit breaker, essentially, where they go back and gate how much is coming in. And they do this by...

So you want to keep things in where they should be. And so you want neurons to get excited, but you don't want them to get overexcited. So endocannabinoids, in kind of a very prototypical sense, act as this circuit breaker, essentially, where they go back and gate how much is coming in. And they do this by...

through various mechanisms essentially turning off the electrical activity of that presynaptic neuron so that it stops releasing neurotransmitter. They can also regulate, though, inhibitory neurotransmitter release as well. And this is usually done through a little bit more of a complex process where it's driven by excitation, but then it regulates the inhibitory pathway.

through various mechanisms essentially turning off the electrical activity of that presynaptic neuron so that it stops releasing neurotransmitter. They can also regulate, though, inhibitory neurotransmitter release as well. And this is usually done through a little bit more of a complex process where it's driven by excitation, but then it regulates the inhibitory pathway.