Cannabis, endocannabinoid CB1 receptors, and the neuropathology of vision

Abstract

[Abstract] Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are widely distributed through the central nervous system, where they play a relevant role in various cognitive processes such as learning, memory, or attention. However, despite the distortion in sensory perception caused by cannabis, it has not been until recently that the effect of CB activation on visual physiology and pathophysiology has been studied in detail. These studies reflect a critical role for CB in visual perception, modulating not only the processing of visual information by the retina, but also further processing and computation of visual signals by the thalamus and cortex. Interestingly, activation of cannabinoid receptors in therapies can result in some cases in an improvement of visual function.