Publish at March 05 2025 Updated March 05 2025
"When faced with chronic stress, some people develop anxiety and depressive symptoms, while others show great resilience. How can such a difference be explained? It could be attributable, at least in part, to a protein that acts as a cannabinoid receptor and is present in the structure that controls exchanges between the bloodstream and the brain".
Caroline Ménard, professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and researcher at the CERVO research center, and her team have just published a study in Nature Neurosciences which identifies a stress resistance factor: the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) protein.
While the effects of this protein are clearly demonstrated, its use is more delicate, since its strong and prolonged activation on neurons can have undesirable repercussions, notably on alertness, anxiety and appetite. Fortunately, the protective effects of physical activity, which promotes the production of this protein in a balanced way, have also been demonstrated.
Illustration : Brahim Mohammed
For the full article: Discovery of a key protein in stress resilience
For the article in Nature Neuroscience: Astrocytic cannabinoid receptor 1 promotes resilience by dampening stress-induced blood-brain barrier alterations
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