STUDY SHOWS BRAIN PRODUCES NATURAL MARIJUANA

Washington - Pain triggers the release of the brain's natural version of
marijuana and may help explain why cannabis can act to relieve pain,
researchers said Monday.

Their finding adds to a spate of studies that show the chemical, one of a
class known as anandamides, has a range of important roles in the brain .

Michael Walker, a psychology professor at Brown University in Providence,
R.I. , and collegues tested pain and anandamide in rats.

They found the brain produced anandamide when they stimulated an area - the
periaqueductal grey - known for its role in modulating pain. It also
released anandamide in response to a painful injection of the chemical formalin.

The secretion of anandamide eased the pain, they reported in the proceedings
of the National Academy of Science. Cannabis has been used for centuries to
relieve pain.