Your Brain on Cannabis: 3D Image Provides the Clearest Picture yet of the Human Marijuana Receptor

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A model of the CB1 receptor shows the structure of the receptor in green, along with the stabilizing molecule AM6538 in the central binding pocket. The researchers used this model to examine how different cannabinoid molecules bind to and activate the receptor.

When someone smokes cannabis, molecules including Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient - bind to a receptor in their brain.

It is the interaction between the drug and this receptor, called CB1, that makes people feel high after smoking marijuana. 

Now researchers have published the clearest picture yet of this receptor and it could help lead the way for the development of safe cannabis-based medicines.

This image shows a the clearest image yet of a cannabinoid receptor, called CB1. The receptor is the yellow, ribbon-like structure. The orange stick are a stabilising molecule called AM6538. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is shown as</body></html>...
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