A review found that glial cells (the brain's support cells) express cannabinoid receptors and are altered in schizophrenia, suggesting that cannabinoid drugs could potentially modulate glial dysfunction involved in the disorder.
Read this if you are interested in the neuroscience of how cannabis affects brain cells beyond neurons and its connection to psychotic disorders.
Glial cells express cannabinoid receptors and are altered in schizophrenia
What the researchers found
This review examined the intersection of two lines of research: glial cell dysfunction in schizophrenia and the endocannabinoid system's effects on glial cells.
Glial cells, which include oligodendrocytes, microglia, and astrocytes, perform essential functions in the brain including myelination, metabolic support, and immune response. Impairments in these cells disrupt neuronal communication and homeostasis in ways implicated in schizophrenia.
The endocannabinoid system has been linked to schizophrenia pathophysiology through its modulation of dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, both associated with positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms.
Critically, glial cells express cannabinoid receptors and synthesize endocannabinoids. Cannabinoid drugs affect glial cell functions that are specifically disrupted in schizophrenia, suggesting these cells could be a pharmacological target for treatment.
Why it matters
Schizophrenia treatment has focused primarily on neurotransmitter systems. If glial cells represent an overlooked target, and cannabinoid drugs can modulate their function, this opens a potentially new therapeutic approach for a disorder that remains difficult to treat.
The numbers in context
Three main glial cell types affected: oligodendrocytes, microglia, astrocytes. Endocannabinoid system modulates both dopaminergic and glutamatergic transmission implicated in schizophrenia.
How the study worked
Narrative review synthesizing published research on glial cell changes in schizophrenia, endocannabinoid system involvement in the disorder, and the effects of cannabinoids on glial cell function.
What this study cannot tell us
This is a narrative review synthesizing existing research rather than reporting new data. Much of the evidence connecting cannabinoids, glial cells, and schizophrenia comes from preclinical studies. The complexity of schizophrenia means that targeting one system may not translate to clinical benefit.
How to read the evidence
This is a narrative review synthesizing preclinical and clinical observations, providing preliminary theoretical evidence rather than direct clinical findings.
When this study was published
Published in 2018. Research on glial involvement in psychiatric disorders has continued to develop.
The bigger picture
This review represents an emerging research direction that looks beyond neurons to the brain's support cells. The connection between the endocannabinoid system and glial function in schizophrenia could eventually inform new treatment strategies, though the research is still in early stages.
Questions still open
- Could cannabinoid-based drugs that specifically target glial cells reduce schizophrenia symptoms without the psychoactive effects associated with THC? Which glial cell type is most relevant to each symptom domain of schizophrenia?
Common questions
What are glial cells?
Does this mean cannabis causes or treats schizophrenia?
Read the original research
Cannabinoids and glial cells: possible mechanism to understand schizophrenia.
European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 268(7), 727-737
Citation
de Almeida, Valéria; Martins-de-Souza, Daniel. (2018). Cannabinoids and glial cells: possible mechanism to understand schizophrenia.. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 268(7), 727-737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-018-0874-6
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