Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids

About the Book

The mysteries of the brain’s own cannabinoid system exposed and explained.

Though cannabis has been used, for pain or pleasure, for over 4000 years, only lately have we learned, first, what makes it work and, more recently, how. Unraveling the mystery of the human brain’s special relationship with a psychoactive chemical derived from a plant—tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, specifically—neuroscientist Linda Parker recounts the discovery of the brain’s own THC, called endocannabinoids, and describes the remarkable brain chemical system this discovery revealed.

In expert yet accessible terms, Cannabinoids explains what we know about this system, how it functions, and how it interacts with the plant materials in cannabis. Parker explores the role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating emotion, anxiety, depression, psychosis, learning, memory, feeding, nausea, pain, epilepsy, and neurological disorders—as well as, naturally, the brain’s reward system. Examining the link between anecdotal reports and the current scientific literature, the book offers a balanced presentation of the scientific evidence for the medicinal use of marijuana, providing a timely intervention in ongoing debates about cannabis’s medicinal value and its legal status.
Read more
Close

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series Series

Auditing AI
Cultural Appropriation
Cultural Appropriation
Cannabinoids
Large Language Models
Carbon Removal
Inflation
The Internet Stack
Biological Rhythms
Differential Privacy
View more

About the Author

Linda A. Parker
Decorative Carat

By clicking submit, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.

Random House Publishing Group