howard.olson at awaiter.com (Howard Olson) wrote:
>> Arachidonyl ethanolamide, also known as anandamide (the natural
>cannibinoid ligand in the Human CNS) is apparently synthesised by the
>enzyme ethanolamine phosphotransferase. Dr. Jack G. Chamberlain (1996)
>has suggested that this enzyme was responsible for sequestering Highly
>Unsaturated Fatty Acids (HUFA) such as arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic
>acid from dietary sources during the evolution of the hominid brain.
> This is significant because Chamberlain, an anatomist, and some
>anthropologists argue that HUFAs were essential for the unique
>development of the primate brain in general and the human brain in
>particular.
>> Since anandamide is the ethanolamide of the HUFA arachidonic acid
>it seems possible that this cannibinoid ligand and its central receptor
>have played a role in brain evolution. Thus, THC in the form of Medical
>Marijuana may have an important role in neurochemical evolution and high
>relevance to human psychopharmacology. This is another issue that the
>NIH should investigate carefully despite pressure from Federal Narcs to
>support the statist quo (sp. intentional).
>Chamberlain, JG (1996) THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF LONG CHAIN, OMEGA-3 FATTY
>ACIDS IN HUMAN BRAIN PHYLOGENY
>PERSPECTIVES IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE Vol 39, No. 3, Spring 1996
> Howard R. Olson, MA
> Bioethicist
