Cannabinoid Modulation of Emotion, Memory, and Motivation

The endocannabinoid system consists of cannabinoid receptors, their endogenous lipid ligands (endocannabinoids) and the enzymatic machinery for their synthesis and degradation. In the brain, endocannabinoids regulate ion channel activity and neurotransmitter release and thereby contribute to various aspects of brain function, including memory, reward and emotions. Their ability to modulate synaptic efficacy has a wide range of functional consequences and provides unique therapeutic possibilities. Unprecedented advances have been made in the understanding of the role of endocannabinoids in the regulation of the emotional brain over the past few years. However, a comprehensive book encompassing all these aspects is still lacking. The book will provide an overview of the role played by the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of emotional processes with particular emphasis on the modulation of memory and reward for emotionally arousing events and for the regulation of motivational aspects in cannabis use.

Liana Fattore is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Neuroscience (IN) in Cagliari, National Research Council-Italy (CNR). Among her academic achievements are a BSc in Biology (cum laude), a BSc in Natural Science (cum laude), and a PhD in Neuroscience (cum laude). After a 1-year period as a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Cambridge (UK), she is currently conducting preclinical research at the University of Cagliari (Italy) in the Department of Biomedical Science’s Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology. Her research activity is focused on cannabinoids, new designer drugs, pathological dependences, and gender/sex differences in behavioural addictions. Council Member of the Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS) and the Mediterranean Society of Neuroscience (MNS), she is reviewer for 23 scientific International Journals and (co)author of more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, 9 book chapters, and a monograph.

Patrizia Campolongo is Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and fellow of the Sapienza School of Advanced Studies. Her research focuses on the role of the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of memory for emotionally arousing events and it is funded by national and international agencies. Dr. Campolongo has carried out part of her research projects at the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California Irvine, and has been a Visiting Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany. She received several prestigious awards: among them, the Prize “Sapienza Ricerca", for the 6 most promising scientists performing fore-front research within the whole University and the EBBS (European Brain Behaviour Society) Young Investigator Award.