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Ibec Seminar. Emma Puighermanal Puigvert
Friday, April 4 @ 11:00 am
Clearing the Haze: Cannabinoids in Brain Research and Therapy
Dra. Emma Puighermanal Puigvert, Group Leader at the Neuroscience Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
Cannabinoids—compounds found in the cannabis plant—are powerful modulators of brain function that interact with the brain’s endocannabinoid system, a key player in processes like memory, mood, and neural communication. Two of the best known cannabinoids, THC and CBD, have gained increasing attention for their exciting therapeutic potential, and in the case of CBD, complete lack of psychoactive effects. Understanding how these compounds affect neuronal processes is key to optimizing their medical use while minimizing side effects. In this talk, Dr. Puighermanal will take us inside the neural circuits to explore how cannabinoids act at the cellular and molecular level. She will reveal how repeated THC exposure reshapes gene expression and synaptic function in memory-related brain circuits, and how this can explain some of its cognitive effects. Shifting gears, she will then present compelling evidence for CBD’s disease-modifying action in mouse models of Leigh syndrome—a severe pediatric mitochondrial disorder with no approved treatments to date. From decoding memory modulation to uncovering novel therapeutic pathways, this research sheds new light on the brain’s response to cannabinoids—and what it could mean for future medicine.
