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Differential effects of the antidepressants tranylcypromine and fluoxetine on limbic cannabinoid receptor binding and endocannabinoid contents

  • Biological Psychiatry - Original Article
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An Erratum to this article was published on 18 December 2008

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine whether the endocannabinoid system is altered by chronic antidepressant treatment. The effects of 3-week administration of the monoamine oxidase inhibitor, tranylcypromine (10 mg/kg) and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) on cannabinoid CB1 receptor densities and endocannabinoid contents were determined in limbic brain regions of the rat. Tranylcypromine significantly reduced tissue content of the endocannabinoid N-arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide) in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus and increased 2-arachidonoylglycerol content in the prefrontal cortex. Tranylcypromine treatment significantly increased CB1 receptor binding density in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, but not in the hypothalamus. Treatment with fluoxetine increased CB1 receptor density in the prefrontal cortex, but had no effect on endocannabinoid contents in any brain region examined. These data suggest that monoaminergic neurotransmission can regulate the endocannabinoid system and further indicates a role of the endocannabinoid system in affective illness and its treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Matthew N. Hill & Boris B. Gorzalka

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA

    Wing-Sze Vanessa Ho & Cecilia J. Hillard

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  1. Matthew N. Hill
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  2. Wing-Sze Vanessa Ho
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  3. Cecilia J. Hillard
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  4. Boris B. Gorzalka
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Correspondence to Boris B. Gorzalka.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00702-008-0172-y

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Hill, M.N., Ho, WS.V., Hillard, C.J. et al. Differential effects of the antidepressants tranylcypromine and fluoxetine on limbic cannabinoid receptor binding and endocannabinoid contents. J Neural Transm 115, 1673–1679 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-008-0131-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-008-0131-7

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